pulmonary phthisis

[Guest kenneth mcarthur]

hi, can anyone tell me why so many ww1 soldiers died from pulmonary phthisis ? I know this is a form of T.B. but there seems a very high rate ofthis type.....was it caused by soldiers being gassed?

many thanks

alex

[spike10764]

Alex, I don't know how many died, but I believe pulmonary phthisis was another name for T.B. (I asked the question on forum some years back and that is what I was told)

[Robert Dunlop]

Alex, it would not have been caused by gassing. The cause is the tuberculosis bacterium. Gassing might accelerate existing disease. TB was quite common anyway so this would be difficult to prove.

Robert

[truthergw]

hi, can anyone tell me why so many ww1 soldiers died from pulmonary phthisis ? I know this is a form of T.B. but there seems a very high rate ofthis type.....was it caused by soldiers being gassed?

many thanks

alex

This is just a medical term for tuberculosis in the lungs, the commonest form of TB. TB was rife and continued to be a major cause of debility and death in all parts of the population until after WW2 and the advent of sulfa drugs.

[Guest kenneth mcarthur]

This is just a medical term for tuberculosis in the lungs, the commonest form of TB. TB was rife and continued to be a major cause of debility and death in all parts of the population until after WW2 and the advent of sulfa drugs.

ah! many thanks guys ....my particular interest is in a chap who's record states pulmonary phthisis and on another record ' gas poisoning' .....then Istarted to come across P.P an awful lot of soldiers who had died ofthe same affliction

many thanks,

alex

[PhilB]

Most people travelled by bus in the 50s and I remember the sign at the front of all buses "Spitting Strictly Prohibited". I didn`t know it then, but it was an anti-TB measure. Spitting was a common device for "clearing your lungs" after a coughing do and that was thought to be a major means of spreading the bug. You could often walk down a street and find a window wide open, even in winter, with someone sitting in bed inside the room. They were TB sufferers who were advised that fresh air was essential. A friend of mine got TB in the 70s and it took over a year, IIRC, to get cured. Anyone know what modern medicine can effect? Phil B

[Guest kenneth mcarthur]

Most people travelled by bus in the 50s and I remember the sign at the front of all buses "Spitting Strictly Prohibited". I didn`t know it then, but it was an anti-TB measure. Spitting was a common device for "clearing your lungs" after a coughing do and that was thought to be a major means of spreading the bug. You could often walk down a street and find a window wide open, even in winter, with someone sitting in bed inside the room. They were TB sufferers who were advised that fresh air was essential. A friend of mine got TB in the 70s and it took over a year, IIRC, to get cured. Anyone know what modern medicine can effect? Phil B

very interesting phil,now that you mention it ,I do remember the painted sign on the bus.......given all the above,would the army accept or reconise that this was a just a common condition or directly contributable to service??

alex

[PhilB]

Well, I`d think it was certainly a common condition. Whether conditions of service would cause it is debatable. Presumably consumptives weren`t serving in the army so the chances of infection would be minimized? Phil B

[Robert Dunlop]

Phil, I am sure you are right. Acute TB can occur. It can kill very quickly. My paternal grandmother died within days of being recognised as suffering some form of illness, having been perfectly well previously.

Robert

[truthergw]

Well, I`d think it was certainly a common condition. Whether conditions of service would cause it is debatable. Presumably consumptives weren`t serving in the army so the chances of infection would be minimized? Phil B

TB was very widespread. Mass enlistment would amost inevitably mean that men in the early stages would be serving. Close quarters and insanitary conditions would mean it would spread. In civilian life, people went about their normal business and carried on as best they could. For those who could afford it, there were various palliative measures, nourishing food, fresh air and bed rest. There was, of course, no cure. These were still the main treatments available into the 50s.

[PhilB]

Apparently it takes 6 months to cure TB with modern drugs. Spread is primarily airborn - coughs and sneezes - but spitting also spreads droplets into the atmosphere. Phil B

[truthergw]

Apparently it takes 6 months to cure TB with modern drugs. Spread is primarily airborn - coughs and sneezes - but spitting also spreads droplets into the atmosphere. Phil B

There is an alarming trend of drug-resistant strains of the bacteria.

[Guest f@man]

Most people travelled by bus in the 50s and I remember the sign at the front of all buses "Spitting Strictly Prohibited". I didn`t know it then, but it was an anti-TB measure. Spitting was a common device for "clearing your lungs" after a coughing do and that was thought to be a major means of spreading the bug. You could often walk down a street and find a window wide open, even in winter, with someone sitting in bed inside the room. They were TB sufferers who were advised that fresh air was essential. A friend of mine got TB in the 70s and it took over a year, IIRC, to get cured. Anyone know what modern medicine can effect? Phil B

Had same signs on buses and train stations when I was a kid, never understood why.

Now I know, thanks.

Colin