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Hygiene problems of the campaign in North West Europe, 1944-45 : a review
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The following Quotation is from a lecture given by wield Marshal Montgomery to the Royal United Service Institution in London on 3rd October, 1945. "No account of this campaign would be complete without some mention of the truly remarkable success of the medical organisation. But it must be remembered that there were two factors which contributed greatly to the results achieved; probably no group of doctors has worked on better material, and secondly, they were caring for the men of a winning army. The men of 21 Army Group were fully immunised and fully trained; their morale was at its highest; they were well clothed and well fed; they were fighting in a climate to which the average British soldier is accustomed; hygiene, both personal and unit, was exceptionally good; welfare services were well organised. The exhilarating effect of success also played its part in reducing the rates of sickness." The various factors contributing to the "remarkable success of the medical organisation" have been described from the purely medical and surgical aspects by Bulmer (1945) and'by Porritt, Debenham and Ross (1945). But apart from articles on isolated incidents such as BELSEN, no attempt has been made-to give an overall picture of the preventive medicine and epidemiological aspects of this campaign.
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