Over the course of the Vietnam War, over 70.6% of the American men and women who served experienced various types of skin infections and or diseases (12). Apart from the massive amount of soft tissue and limb loss casualties, the jungles of Vietnam proved to be an even more ominous adversary. In particular Malaria, Cholera, and various dermatological ailments dominated the focus of medics treating patients and scientists furious attempts to find a cure.
Imagine a nice summer day, sitting out on your front porch trying to enjoy a cold glass of water but cannot keep the pesky mosquitos out of your hair. Now picture this: it is well over 105 degrees in a jungle with breathtaking humidity, where the least of your worries are the mosquitoes flocking in the hundreds all around you. Over 40,000 cases of Malaria were reported in Army troops alone between 1965 and 1970 with 78 deaths (13). During this time, Malaria was especially dangerous as it was caused by single-cell parasitic protozoa transmitted to humans via the bite of the female Anopheles mosquitos that attack the human liver which subsequently damages vital organs, limits blood supply, and results in a high fever and terrible bouts of coughing (14). During the third year of the war, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, WRAIR, expanded its research to try and find a topical antiseptic that would treat Malaria. Teaming up with the FIELD team that I discussed earlier, WRAIR traveled around Vietnam hospitals collecting data that would help them understand this disease. First generation therapeutic drugs created in the late 1960's known as Fanasil and Pyrethamine served as building blocks for breakthrough research on DDS, diaminoddiphenylsufone, which is more commonly known as the vaccine Dapsone. However, United State's soldiers in Vietnam did not benefit from this innovative new treatment as it was not fully developed and cleared for medical use until 1984. This drug proved to be so effective that according to the Oxford Journal's online database, Dapsone is still the most commonly used anti-dyhydropterote that is still used to treat Malaria today (15).
While soldiers were always trying to keep the mosquitos at bay, they also had to be conscious of yet another disease known as Cholera. Though not as fatal as Malaria, Cholera is a form of dysentery, or an infection of the small intestine that causes uncontrollable vomit and watery diarrhea. Over 20,000 cases were reported from soldiers and civilians fighting and living in South Vietnam with over 800 total casualties from the years 1964 to 1976 (16). Though aid and treatment was not immediately sought after compared to that of Malaria, Dr. Richard Finkelstein and Dr. Howard Noyes from WRAIR adopted a similar process and traveled to hospitals in Saigon, South Vietnam to help find a cure. Through trail and error, they found by substituting a typical intravenous solution with a heavily based electrolyte-saline solution, the incubation time of the infection was cut in half. They based their theory around a 'cleaning strategy', which claimed that the solution would be carried to the small intestine wall via the bloodstream to help hydrate the patient and kill the infection (17). Its production was slow as it was fairly expensive to manufacture but made the fear of contracting Cholera obsolete towards the end of the war. Today, Cholera is still treated through intravenous solutions, and although its has developed and become even more effective, its treatment can be traced back to the two doctors working in small Saigon hospitals.
Finally, if Cholera and Malaria were not debilitating enough, over 50% of soldiers experienced disabling skin conditions of the feet and hands. From early April to late August in 1966, Vietnam averaged over 10 inches of rain every month during this time (18). This resulted in constant crawling through puddles and standing in damp combat boots that in turn created a breeding ground for infectious bacteria. Without proper care and antibiotics, soldiers would often leave their wounds dirty and moist that could cause toe fungus and infect even the smallest of abrasions. This would often result in terrible fevers and in extreme cases, amputations of soldiers feet were necessary to keep infections from spreading (19). To combat this omnipresent problem, the WRAIR again sent a team to the Mekong Delta in 1968 to study these various infections. Under the command of Dr. Harvey Blank and Captain Alfred Allen, who previously studied at the University of Miami, the team conducted research in an air tight tent in order to identify specific pathogens that were creating the most problems. After the identification process, creating a distinct strain of antibiotics and developing methods to prevent disease was simple and extremely effective. Within the first year, the teams findings greatly lowered the disability rate due to dermatological infections (20). According to author or Vietnam Medical Studies, Major General Spurgeon Neel claims, "the influence of the findings even extended to the development of new military footwear. And as a direct result, development of effective methods to prevent devastating effects of skin disease came, for the first time, within reach." (21).
Imagine a nice summer day, sitting out on your front porch trying to enjoy a cold glass of water but cannot keep the pesky mosquitos out of your hair. Now picture this: it is well over 105 degrees in a jungle with breathtaking humidity, where the least of your worries are the mosquitoes flocking in the hundreds all around you. Over 40,000 cases of Malaria were reported in Army troops alone between 1965 and 1970 with 78 deaths (13). During this time, Malaria was especially dangerous as it was caused by single-cell parasitic protozoa transmitted to humans via the bite of the female Anopheles mosquitos that attack the human liver which subsequently damages vital organs, limits blood supply, and results in a high fever and terrible bouts of coughing (14). During the third year of the war, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, WRAIR, expanded its research to try and find a topical antiseptic that would treat Malaria. Teaming up with the FIELD team that I discussed earlier, WRAIR traveled around Vietnam hospitals collecting data that would help them understand this disease. First generation therapeutic drugs created in the late 1960's known as Fanasil and Pyrethamine served as building blocks for breakthrough research on DDS, diaminoddiphenylsufone, which is more commonly known as the vaccine Dapsone. However, United State's soldiers in Vietnam did not benefit from this innovative new treatment as it was not fully developed and cleared for medical use until 1984. This drug proved to be so effective that according to the Oxford Journal's online database, Dapsone is still the most commonly used anti-dyhydropterote that is still used to treat Malaria today (15).
While soldiers were always trying to keep the mosquitos at bay, they also had to be conscious of yet another disease known as Cholera. Though not as fatal as Malaria, Cholera is a form of dysentery, or an infection of the small intestine that causes uncontrollable vomit and watery diarrhea. Over 20,000 cases were reported from soldiers and civilians fighting and living in South Vietnam with over 800 total casualties from the years 1964 to 1976 (16). Though aid and treatment was not immediately sought after compared to that of Malaria, Dr. Richard Finkelstein and Dr. Howard Noyes from WRAIR adopted a similar process and traveled to hospitals in Saigon, South Vietnam to help find a cure. Through trail and error, they found by substituting a typical intravenous solution with a heavily based electrolyte-saline solution, the incubation time of the infection was cut in half. They based their theory around a 'cleaning strategy', which claimed that the solution would be carried to the small intestine wall via the bloodstream to help hydrate the patient and kill the infection (17). Its production was slow as it was fairly expensive to manufacture but made the fear of contracting Cholera obsolete towards the end of the war. Today, Cholera is still treated through intravenous solutions, and although its has developed and become even more effective, its treatment can be traced back to the two doctors working in small Saigon hospitals.
Finally, if Cholera and Malaria were not debilitating enough, over 50% of soldiers experienced disabling skin conditions of the feet and hands. From early April to late August in 1966, Vietnam averaged over 10 inches of rain every month during this time (18). This resulted in constant crawling through puddles and standing in damp combat boots that in turn created a breeding ground for infectious bacteria. Without proper care and antibiotics, soldiers would often leave their wounds dirty and moist that could cause toe fungus and infect even the smallest of abrasions. This would often result in terrible fevers and in extreme cases, amputations of soldiers feet were necessary to keep infections from spreading (19). To combat this omnipresent problem, the WRAIR again sent a team to the Mekong Delta in 1968 to study these various infections. Under the command of Dr. Harvey Blank and Captain Alfred Allen, who previously studied at the University of Miami, the team conducted research in an air tight tent in order to identify specific pathogens that were creating the most problems. After the identification process, creating a distinct strain of antibiotics and developing methods to prevent disease was simple and extremely effective. Within the first year, the teams findings greatly lowered the disability rate due to dermatological infections (20). According to author or Vietnam Medical Studies, Major General Spurgeon Neel claims, "the influence of the findings even extended to the development of new military footwear. And as a direct result, development of effective methods to prevent devastating effects of skin disease came, for the first time, within reach." (21).