Inoculations

Thursday 31st December 1914: The adjutant of the 1st Battalion tells us that all men not inoculated against Enteric Fever in the last two years are to be inoculated today. This disease is also known as typhoid. It is caught by ingesting water-borne faecal matter from someone else infected with the disease. It can be imagined that, living in trenches which are inhabited by hundreds of men is a dirty business and that any bowel disorder can lead to involuntary evacuation before the latrines are reached. As the trenches are often full of water this makes the risk of infection from this deadly condition all the more likely.

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Source: X550/2/5