The Disaster Spreading with Louse: Typhus

Yıl 2023, , 239 - 268, 29.10.2023

Erol Karcı

https://doi.org/10.21563/sutad.1378266

Öz

Typhus is one of the oldest diseases in human history. Although its historical and geographical origins are controversial, some medical historians suggest that typhus is an ancient European disease described by Thucydides. Transmitted by the body louse “Pediculus humanus”, the symptoms of typhus include high fever, weakness, mental confusion and a characteristic rash. The disease develops in conditions favourable to the reproduction and transmission of the body louse, especially in cold, overcrowded and unsanitary living conditions. This study aims to provide information about typhus epidemics that manifested themselves in some of the wars that shaped European history and affected the outcome of the war. In this way, the political, military and social effects of a disease will be tried to be revealed. It is known that typhus epidemics were effective in many wars. In our study, we have attempted to deal with the wars of Granada, the Habsburg-Valois struggle, the Thirty Years' War, the Napoleonic Wars, the Crimean War, the Ottoman-Russian War of 1877-1878, the typhus epidemic in Serbia during World War I and the typhus epidemic during the Russian Civil War (1918-1922).

Anahtar Kelimeler

Typhus, Thirty Years, Napoleon, Ottoman-Russian Wars, Serbia, Russia.

Bitle Yayılan Felaket: Tifüs

Öz

Tifüs, insanlık tarihinin en eski hastalıklarındandır. Tarihi ve coğrafi kökenleri tartışmalı olmakla birlikte bazı tıp tarihçileri tifüsün Thucydides tarafından tanımlanan eski bir Avrupa hastalığı olduğunu ileri sürmektedirler. Vücut biti “Pediculus humanus” ile bulaşan tifüsün belirtileri arasında yüksek ateş, halsizlik, zihinsel karışıklık ve karakteristik bir döküntü bulunmaktadır. Hastalık, vücut bitinin çoğalmasına ve geçişine elverişli koşullarda özellikle de soğuk, aşırı kalabalık ve sağlıksız yaşam koşullarında gelişir. Bu çalışma Avrupa tarihine yön veren bazı savaşlarda kendisini gösteren ve savaşın sonucuna etki eden tifüs salgınları hakkında bilgi vermeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu sayede bir hastalığın siyasi, askeri ve sosyal etkileri ortaya konulmaya çalışılacaktır. Tifüs salgınlarının birçok savaşta etkili olduğu bilinmektedir. Çalışmamızda bunlardan Granada Savaşları, Habsburg-Valois mücadelesi, Osmanlı-Macar savaşları, Otuz Yıl Savaşları, Napolyon Savaşları, Kırım Savaşı, 1877-1878 Osmanlı-Rus Savaşı, I. Dünya Savaşı yıllarında Sırbistan’daki tifüs salgını ve Rusya İç Savaşı (1918-1922) sırasındaki tifüs salgını ele alınmaya çalışılmıştır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Tifüs, Otuz Yıl Savaşları, Napolyon, Osmanlı-Rus Savaşları, Sırbistan, Rusya.

Kaynakça

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