Not to lose control of war: narrative review of military louse control in the first half of XX Century.

INTRODUCTION

Insects and the diseases that they are capable to host have played a crucial role in the outcome of major military operations throughout recorded history. As a matter of fact, regular armies had to fight both against enemy uniform and invisible pathogens; the latter often causing battle casualties more disabling than bullets.

METHODS

All the sources present on Pubmed and Google Scholar relating to the fight against Bartonella quintana and Rickettsia prowazeki in the military field during the first and second world wars were studied, with particular attention to the articles published during the wars. The sources were then processed in a historical-medical perspective.

RESULTS

First World War (WWI) was a position war also if considering the fight between humans against louse; with the latter being controlled by rudimentary but science-driven hygienic measures. Contrary, during Second World War (WWII) human forces, thanks to new research and development attainments, have gone on the counter-offensive by "shooting flights with cannons".

CONCLUSIONS

The fascinating history of Bartonella quintana and Rickettsia prowazekii tells us that the war against armies could mirror the war against infectious diseases and their arthropod vectors.