Veterinary Preventive Medicine in Civil Affairs and Military Government (G-5) in Northwest Europe from D-Day to V-Day *

Wars of the past have brought with them diseases of all types. Epidemics of human diseases that have appeared during and following the campaigns of history have each been accompanied by epizootics of animal disease. This latter group is not only responsible for enormous losses of livestock in the countries involved, but causes and spreads disease and death among the human population. During 1914-1918 rinderpest spread rapidly through Russia and into Roumania, Bulgaria, Poland, and Greece. Simultaneously an outbreak of contagious bovine pleuro-pneumonia appeared in Germany, from which it had been absent for many years. Anthrax and glanders have appeared at times, to become large factors in determining the outcome of campaigns. Losses in animals from such conditions help to bring famine and starvation tO thvpeople.