The typhoid epidemic

The typhoid epidemic was caused by contaminated water. The town of Lille drew its water supply from water catchment areas situated between Armentières and La Bassée, within the territories of municipalities intersected by the front and scoured by bombardments. Corpses and cesspools contaminated the water table supplying the town. The entire water supply system was therefore impaired and polluted by the existence of trenches and battlefields. The town’s drainage system was also antiquated and incomplete. The situation was further aggravated by the piling up of household waste close to the town.
From the outbreak of the epidemic, the German military doctors collaborated with their French colleagues. Hygiene measures were introduced by the military governor of the town. Active monitoring was undertaken. The drains were cleaned out; a water treatment plant was built. Street cleaning was made obligatory; some markets that were deemed unsanitary were closed.