The Australian Army Medical Corps in Egypt Part 11

_Return showing Number of Deaths at No. 2 Australian General Hospital, Ghezireh_ _From May 3, 1915, to August 18, 1915_

AUSTRALIAN M.E.F.

Sickness 2 Wounds in Action 9

BRITISH M.E.F.

Sickness nil Wounds in Action 1

R.N.D. M.E.F.

Sickness 1 Wounds in Action nil

NEW ZEALAND M.E.F.

Sickness 1 Wounds in Action nil

AUSTRALIAN FORCE IN EGYPT Sickness 1

D. MACKENZIE, _Captain_.

_Secretary and Registrar, No. 2 General Hospital._

GHEZIREH, _August 18, 1915_.

This chapter would be incomplete unless proper acknowledgment were made of the most valuable post mortem demonstrations given by Major Watson.

CHAPTER VIII

VENEREAL DISEASES--THE GREATEST PROBLEM OF CAMP LIFE IN EGYPT--CONDITIONS IN CAIRO--METHODS TAKEN TO LIMIT INFECTION--MILITARY AND MEDICAL PRECAUTIONS--SOLDIERS' CLUBS.

CHAPTER VIII

The venereal-disease problem has given a great deal of trouble in Egypt as elsewhere. The problem in Egypt does not differ materially from the problem anywhere else, but a number of fine soldiers have been disabled more or less permanently.

When the First Australian Division landed in Egypt and camped at Mena, the novelty of the surroundings and the lack of intuitive discipline resulted in somewhat of an outbreak, both with regard to conduct and to s.e.xual matters. Both of these phases have been greatly exaggerated, but nevertheless there was substantial ground for apprehension, and the following letter from General Birdwood, Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Army Corps, to the officers commanding units was sufficient evidence of the necessity for action.

"_For Private Circulation only_ "DIVISIONAL HEADQUARTERS, MENA, "_December 18, 1914_.

"The following letter written by Major-General W. R. Birdwood, C.B., C.S.I., C.I.E., D.S.O., Commanding the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, to Major-General W. T. Bridges, C.M.G., Commanding the First Australian Division, has been printed for private circulation.

"V. C. M. SELLHEIM, "_Colonel, A.A. and Q.M.G._"

"HEADQUARTERS: AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND ARMY CORPS, "SHEPHEARD'S HOTEL, CAIRO, "_December 27_, 1914.

"MY DEAR GENERAL,

"You will, I know, not misunderstand me if I write to you about the behaviour of a very small proportion of our contingents in Cairo, as I know well that not only you, but all your officers and non-commissioned officers and nearly all the men must be of one mind in wis.h.i.+ng only for the good name of our contingents.

"Sir John Maxwell had to write recently complaining of the drunkenness of some of our men in the Cairo streets. During Christmas time some small licence might perhaps have been antic.i.p.ated, but that time is now over, and I still hear of many cases of drunkenness, and this the men must stop.

"I advisedly say 'the men must stop,' because I feel it is up to the men themselves to put a stop to it by their own good feeling. I wonder if they fully realise that only a few days' sailing from us our fellow-countrymen are fighting for their lives, and fighting as we have never had to do before, simply because they know the very existence of their country is at stake as the result of their efforts.

"We have been given some breathing time here by Lord Kitchener for one object, and one object only--to do our best to fit ourselves to join in the struggle to the best advantage of our country. I honestly do not think that _all_ of our men realise that this is the case. Cairo is full of temptations, and a few of the men seem to think they have come here for a huge picnic; they have money and wish to get rid of it. The worst of it is that Cairo is full of some, probably, of the most unscrupulous people in the world, who are only too anxious to do all they can to entice our boys into the worst of places, and possibly drug them there, only to turn them out again in a short time to bring disgrace on the rest of us.

"Surely the good feeling of the men as a whole must be sufficient to stop this when they realise it. The breathing time we have left us is but a short one and we want every single minute of it to try and make ourselves efficient. We have to remember too that our Governments of the Commonwealth and Dominion have sent us here at a great sacrifice to themselves, and they fully rely on us upholding their good name, and indeed doing much more than that, for I know they look to us to prove that these two contingents contain the finest troops in the British Empire (whose deeds are going down in history), whom they look forward to welcome with all honours when we have done our share, and I hope even more than our share, in ensuring victory over a people who would take all we hold dear from us if we do not crush them now.

"But there is no possibility whatever of our doing ourselves full justice unless we are every one of us absolutely physically fit, and this no man can possibly be if he allows his body to become sodden with drink or rotten from women, and unless he is doing his best to keep himself efficient he is swindling the Government which has sent him to represent it and fight for it. From perhaps a selfish point of view, too, but in the interests of our children and children's children, it is as necessary to keep a 'clean Australia' as a 'White Australia.'

"A very few men can take away our good name. Will you appeal to all to realise what is before us, and from now onwards to keep before them one thought and only one thought until this war is finished with honour--that is, a fixed determination to think of nothing and to work for nothing but their individual efficiency to meet the enemy.

"If the men themselves will let any who do not stick to this know what curs they think them in s.h.i.+rking the work for which it has been their privilege to be selected, then, I know well, any backslidings will stop at once--not from thoughts of punishments, but from good feeling, which is what we want.

"I have just been writing to Lord Kitchener telling him how intensely proud and well-nigh overwhelmed I feel at finding myself in command of such a magnificent body of men as we have here; no man could feel otherwise. He will, I know, follow every movement of ours with unfailing interest, and surely we will never risk disappointing him by allowing a few of our men to give us a bad name. This applies equally to every one of us, from General down to the last-joined Drummer.

"Will you and your men see to it?

"Yours very sincerely, "W. R. BIRDWOOD."

Those who possessed any experience of life could not but realise that 18,000 particularly vigorous fine men, brought up in a country where discipline is conspicuous by its absence, and landed for the first time in a semi-eastern city such as Cairo, were likely to behave in such a manner that a small minority would get into trouble. Active steps were taken to meet the difficulties, and to prevent recurrence of the outbreaks when the Second Division and other reinforcements arrived.

General Birdwood accordingly issued the following circular:

"WARNING TO SOLDIERS RESPECTING VENEREAL DISEASE

"Venereal diseases are very prevalent in Egypt. They are already responsible for a material lessening of the efficiency of the Australasian Imperial Forces, since those who are severely infected are no longer fit to serve. A considerable number of soldiers so infected are now being returned to Australia invalided, and in disgrace. One death from syphilis has already occurred.

"Intercourse with public women is almost certain to be followed by disaster. The soldier is therefore asked to consider the matter from several points of view. In the first place if he is infected he will not be efficient and he may be discharged. But the evil does not cease even with the termination of his military career, for he is liable to infect his future wife and children.

"Soldiers are also urged to abstain from the consumption of any native alcoholic beverage offered to them for sale.

"These beverages are nearly always adulterated, and it is said that the mixture offered for sale is often composed of pure alcohol and other ingredients, including urine, and certainly produces serious consequences to those who consume it. As these drinks are drugged, a very small amount is sufficient to make a man absolutely irresponsible for his actions.

"The General Commanding the Australasian Forces, therefore, asks each soldier to realise that on him rests the reputation of the Australasian Force, and he is urged at all costs and hazards to avoid the risk of contracting venereal disease or disgracing himself by drink."

This leaflet was entrusted to Lieut.-Col. Barrett to deliver to troops on arrival, and he accordingly visited Port Said and Suez, interviewed the officers on the transports, and fully explained the position to them. They were requested to use their influence with the men in the direction of restraint. Subsequently after the destruction of the _Konigsberg_ the transports began to arrive at irregular intervals and it became impossible to meet the officers at the ports. They were then interviewed at Abba.s.sia or Heliopolis, and later still by order of General Spens, G.O.C. Training Depot, the men themselves were addressed on the day of their arrival. The form of address was simple.

The dangers of infection were pointed out to them--particularly as regards typhoid fever, dysentery, bilharzia, and venereal disease. They were shown how the first three diseases could be avoided. So far as venereal disease was concerned they were informed that the matter was in their own hands. They were asked to imitate the j.a.panese, and by their own efforts preserve their health with the same care that they bestowed on their rifles or their ammunition, the preservation of health and arms being equally important. Pa.s.sages from the famous rescript of the Emperor of j.a.pan before the Russian war were quoted in which it was stated in substance that if the normal proportion of sick existed in the j.a.panese army defeat was a practical certainty; but that if they followed the direction of their medical officers and took the same care of their bodies as they took of their equipment, the number of troops saved thereby would make all the difference in the ensuing conflict.

[Ill.u.s.tration: VENEREAL DISEASES HOSPITAL, ABBa.s.sIA.

_To face page 120_]]

General Birdwood asked for the whole-hearted and enthusiastic co-operation of all officers in doing their best to control their men, and to prevent them from exposing themselves to the risk of venereal disease. Some little time before the issue of the circular 3 per cent.

of the Force were affected by venereal disease on any one day.