Diarrhea The Leading Cause Of Death In The American Civil War

[fmdog44]

Watching a documentary yesterday it was noted at one point of the war diarrhea was the leading cause of death. The reason is the troops bathed and swam in bodies of water that they also passed their human waste in. Pleasant thought eh?

 

[win231]

I've read that's why several diseases that were eradicated are still present in some poverty-stricken areas. The exposure to high levels of bacteria when bathing in such water places a huge burden on the immune system, which results in the inability to fight off diseases that would normally not be a problem.

 

[Rosemarie]

Many of the old monasteries had their 'toilet' constructed over a river. The waste was washed down-stream to where the common folk would gather water for drinking.