Atypical pneumonia: a review of thirty cases, together with the literature

This Thesis is an account of one type of atypical pneumonia, which I propose to term acute simple pneumonitis, occurring in war -time in a Naval Training Establishment.The disease has been studied over a period of twenty-one months extending from March 1940 to November 1941. The number of cases here reviewed totals thirty. Whilst the disease occurred in isolated instances throughout this period of nearly two years, the majority of cases were seen, as if in epidemic form, during the late winter and spring of 1941.This study was made in H.M.S. Ganges, a Naval Training Establishment, having at any one time a personnel of from 1800 to 3500 men. H.M.S. Ganges is situated on the East Coast of England in the county of Suffolk. The Establishment is a naval barracks, the men being housed in a number of stone buildings or Messes. Each Mess houses from 50 to 60 men. The men eat and sleep in their Messes. In other words the trainees are living in confined quarters, where the spread of infection by close contact can readily occur.During the late winter and spring of 1940, at which time this study was first begun, the Establishment trained only boys. The ages of these boys varied from 15 to 18. The boy trainees numbered from 2000 to 2200. From the month of May 1940 onwards the trainees were entirely men of military age. The ages of the men varied from 18 to 35, but most of the personnel were young adults. And whereas formerly the Establishment housed on an average 2000 boys, after the change -over from boy to men trainees, the same accommodation was used to house on an average 3000 men. And whereas formerly each Mess housed from 40 to 45 boys, after the advent of conscription each Mess housed 50 to 60 men. In other words since May 1940 there was overcrowding in the Establishment. And it was since May 1940 that the majority of the cases of acute pneumonitis occurred