Field Hospital and Cholera Epidemics in Aceh was the system of military medical installations and the devastating outbreaks of waterborne diseases, principally cholera and dysentery, that afflicted the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army during operations in the Aceh Sultanate between 1873 and 1876.
Sanitary Conditions Following the Capture of the Kraton
After the occupation of Kraton of Aceh on 24 January 1874 during the Second Aceh Expedition, Commander-in-Chief General J. van Swieten established the primary military field hospital within the walls of the royal palace. Because the interior of the kraton was low-lying, poorly drained, and surrounded by marshy terrain, sanitary conditions deteriorated rapidly.
As documented by the anonymous author of Atjeh gedurende de tweede expeditie en later (1876), the kraton hospital became severely overcrowded with sick and wounded soldiers. A virulent cholera epidemic swept through the garrison in early 1874, inflicting higher casualties on European and indigenous troops than combat engagements with Acehnese defenders.
Reorganization Under General Pel
When General J. L. J. H. Pel assumed command in April 1874, he recognized that overcrowding in the kraton hospital endangered the entire occupation force. He ordered the construction of elevated, well-ventilated hospital barracks and wooden sheds at Pantei Perak along the Aceh River, as well as at coastal bases in Oleh-leh and Meuraxa.
During General Pel’s Campaign in Aceh in 1875 and 1876, the Medical Service in Aceh maintained strict hygiene protocols and limited the deployment of infantry battalions in the field to minimize disease attrition.
See Also
- Medical Service in Aceh
- Kraton of Aceh
- Pantei Perak
- J. van Swieten
- J. L. J. H. Pel
- Second Aceh Expedition
Source
Atjeh gedurende de tweede expeditie en later, Een Oud Officier, Batavia: Ogilvie & Co., 1876, pp. 68-73.