TRENCH FEVER 125 



and gets no restful sleep throughout the night. 

 As the hours go by his skin begins to grow moist 

 and the pains easier, so that during the following 

 morning comparative comfort is once more re- 

 gained. But the respite is usually short and 

 once more the fever comes on as night approaches ; 

 this time the pain is often not so general but 

 seems to settle in the forehead, small of the back, 

 and legs. The shins in particular are the seat of 

 trouble and often feel as if they were suffering 

 from toothache. Again the night is one of 

 wretchedness and all desire for food has passed 

 away ; sweating occurs at intervals and may be 

 profuse, but with it usually comes relief and 

 eventually comfort. On the third evening the 

 fever reasserts itself once more, but rarely with 

 the severity, of the first two days, and after that 

 recovery is usually rapid. It is not every one 

 who suffers so severely, yet on the other hand 

 some continue to have fever after the usual three 

 days. A few are lucky and escape with this one 

 bout, but most relapse towards the end of a week 

 from the original onset of the trouble, and go 

 through a somewhat similar experience to that 

 just described. After three weeks most trench 

 fever sufferers are sufficiently recovered to return 

 to work, but others, as already described, pass 

 gradually into a condition of chronic aches and 

 pains, with bursts of fever from time to time. 

 These late fever waves are generally quite short, 

 lasting but a few hours in many cases ; they some- 



