Tetanus or lockjaw is an awful disease. It is due to contaminated wounds and causes muscle spasms that affect the jaws, extremities, back, abdomen, and diaphragm, making breathing difficult. Without treatment, one out of four infected people dies.
In WW1 many soldiers died of tetanus. Clostridium tetani, the bug that causes tetanus, only survives in anaerobic (no oxygen) conditions deep in the soil. The soldiers in WW1 dug deep trenches, fought in them for months, were malnourished, many had dysentery or trench foot, and injuries from gunshot or shells penetrated deeply. Furthermore wound care was non-existent. Continue reading “Tetanus”