Diarrhea was one of the leading causes of death in the American Civil
War. Soldiers had a code of honor to not shoot at anyone who was
pooping.
Of the nearly 750,000 soldiers that died, 95,000 died from diarrhea or dysentery. For every soldier that died on the battlefield, two died
from disease.
Poor hygiene, crowded conditions, lack of medical treatment, and
latrines built near streams created the perfect breeding ground for
diseases to proliferate and spread amongst the soldiers.
The second most common disease was malaria, which infected 1.3 million soldiers, killing 10,000 of them. Others were exposed to chicken pox, diphtheria, measles, mumps, typhoid fever, and smallpox.
STDs such as gonorrhea and syphilis also infected hundreds of
thousands of soldiers when Union General Joseph Hooker allowed sex
workers into his encampment to improve morale. In doing so, his name
became forever associated with what is often touted as the world's
oldest profession.
https://twitter.com/historyinmemes/status/1724488421765206016
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