Remembering the war in New Guinea
Japanese Medical Corps–gastroenteritis (General page)
Module name: Operations (Japanese perspective)
This page was contributed by Mr Alan Hawk (National Museum of Health and Medicine)
Gastroenteritis afflicted most of the Japanese soldiers in New Guinea, causing diarrhoea and dysentery. While rarely fatal, it could be a debilitating condition, causing dehydration and complicating other illnesses. Medical 2nd Lieutenant SAVATARI Zengoro "...did not think this was a very serious menace". He stated there were numerous cases "PW stated that soldiers with strong constitutions carried on when they were suffering from dysentery." [1]
Cause: Gastroenteritis is caused by a bacterial or viral infection transmitted through contaminated water and food. In the 1940’s, native New Guineans did not use latrines, their houses were built on stilts and they defecated on the ground through holes in the floor, counting on the rain to wash away the waste. The runoff contaminated available fresh water. Flies would land on the excrement and then transfer the micro-organisms by landing on food. Since Japanese (as well as Australian and American) soldiers were not immune to the local diseases, they would get infected if they drank the water or ate the contaminated food. [2]
Prevention: The Japanese No. 55 Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply Unit was sent to New Guinea to identify disease pathogens in the combat zone and ensure a clean water supply for the soldiers. However, the unit’s effectiveness decreased the further inland the troops went as noted by Savatari, "special units were responsible for filtering, but whilst this was practical when in billets away from the front, it was impossible to expect such units to cope with the situation on active operations. All water was supposed to boiled before use, but river water was more often than not drunk straight from the streams." [3]
Sanitation efforts broke down in the field, further compounding Japanese soldiers’ exposure to pathogens. While, as Savatari reported, "all ranks were lectured on the need for hygiene, but on active service it was practically impossible to enforce any set rule or regulation." [4] Even in garrison, sanitary rules were not always enforced. An American internee described one base in 1943–44, "Although it was announced that Amele was to remain a Japanese Army base, the latrine which the officers used was soon filthy and the whole compound became polluted with Japanese faeces. The American internee put in more effort at sanitary policing than the Japanese officer-in-charge." [5]
Epidemiology: Although there are no known reliable statistics, most Japanese soldiers suffered from diarrhoea and dysentery. Those suffering from dysentery usually stayed with their unit, frequently walking naked with leaves hanging from their buttocks to prevent them from soiling their uniform. The cases that were hospitalised, since they were the most serious cases, had a high mortality rate. In 1943, the case mortality rate of gastroenteritis patients from the 21st Independent Mixed Brigade was 69 per cent. [6]
Treatment: The medical treatment was a traditional Japanese charcoal preparation Arushirin taken three times daily after meals. [7]
Notes
1. Interrogation report 86: 9.
2.War Department (U.S. Government), "TB MED 18, medical and sanitary data on Dutch New Guinea", 10 March 1944: 2–3 and 10–11; and Interrogation report no. 86: 9.
3. Interrogation report 86: 9.
4. Interrogation report 86: 9.
5. SWPA-1: 1
6. War Department (U.S. Government), "Jap medical problems in the South and Southwest Pacific: Know your enemy", 25 December 1944: 21.
7. Interrogation report 139: 8.