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This is the place to discuss general issues related to the U-boat war or the war at sea in WWII. 
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RE: Living conditions
Posted by: walter M ()
Date: August 09, 2001 06:02PM

<HTML>Since antibiotics were in short supply and X ray sterilisation of canned food was still to be invented it seems that food poisoning was the problem; you easily meet the same problem in other environments but multiple cases in a submarine became a treath and the patrol mission be aborted. Contagious diseases prefer warm places and this explain why the Germans had different medical problems, like broken bones, cuts, bullets, burst tympanums: they keep themselves in the cool Atlantic :-)
I can figure that the worst poisoning cases in submarines were due to botulism (quite lethal if not treated with proper serum). Less severe and more likely diseases were simple bacterial or viral gastro-enteritis. Also type \"A\" viral hepatitis is a possible submarine disease; it was known as \"Itterum castrensis\" (=soldiers\' yellow fever) since Julius Caesar\'s days and it is easily spread by the common use of toilet facilities. It heals by himself, but can be spectacular: you wake up one morning and you comrades say you have turned \"Jap\" and just to add insult to injury you start scratching yourself till you wear up your nails.
Greetings
walter M
P.S.
It seems that in most cases the U-boat sanitary man was a M.D. but held just the rank of able seaman, while in other cases or Navies he was at least an Ensign (or equivalent). Why?
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Subject Written By Posted
Living conditions CAL 08/09/2001 01:22AM
RE: Living conditions Torlef 08/09/2001 05:17AM
RE: Living conditions parade 08/09/2001 10:38AM
RE: Living conditions walter M 08/09/2001 12:02PM
RE: Living conditions kurt 08/09/2001 04:00PM
RE: Living conditions walter M 08/09/2001 06:02PM
RE: Living conditions parade 08/10/2001 10:50AM
RE: Living conditions walter M 08/11/2001 10:22AM
RE: Living conditions parade 08/11/2001 11:52AM
RE: Living conditions walter M 08/11/2001 01:33PM
RE: Living conditions David W 08/09/2001 09:38PM
RE: Living conditions CAL 08/10/2001 12:29AM


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