title: Wartime infections and tragedies at the beginning of the 20th century in the Eastern part of Turkey.
abstract: In the early 20th century, Europe and the Ottoman Empire as a whole experienced a large number of epidemic diseases, and several wars. During World War I (WW1) a general mobilization of the medical services under Ottoman Empire rule was enacted. However, shortages of food and water, unfavourable weather and poor sanitary conditions resulted in numerous diseases at the battle fronts. Indeed, during the Ottoman-Russian war on the Eastern Front, the Turks suffered massive loss of life. This article therefore emphasises that during WW1, such loss of life in the Ottoman Army on the Eastern Front, which was one of the key fronts of the war, was mainly due to epidemic diseases rather than battles.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, GATA HEH Training Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ergenekon
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Karagoz
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, GATA HEH Training Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Vedat
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Turhan
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, GATA HEH Training Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hatipoglu
authors.affiliation: Institute for Turkish Studies, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Bulent
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ozkuzugudenli
mesh_terms: D002771:Cholera / Q000266:history; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000266:history*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000266:history*; D004405:Dysentery, Bacillary / Q000266:history; D005060:Europe; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000266:history; D008887:Military Medicine / Q000266:history; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000266:history*; D057214:Ottoman Empire; D014421:Turkey; D014435:Typhoid Fever / Q000266:history; D014438:Typhus, Epidemic Louse-Borne / Q000266:history; D047828:World War I