Disease and Medicine

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The main diseases at Stanley included dysentery, typhoid, and diarrhea, and those arising from malnutrition, like beriberi. Much of this disease came from cramped and filthy living conditions and poor quality and quantity of food. 

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However, there was not a problem with mental illness, as many internees found ways to keep themselves occupied; there was a sense of altriusm among them. In many ways, the camp functioned like a normal community, as families could live together and pursue (largely) normal hobbies.

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There was an issue with adequate supply of medicine to treat disease, despite there being several doctors among the internees. There was, though, a makeshift hospital and several clinics. Many of these doctors found ingenious ways of treating patients, such as grinding up the bones of fish and meat to treat calcium deficiency.

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Unlike in Nazi camps, there was access to a makeshift hospital for the prisoners and prisoners tended to look out for each much more. Because of the higher general living standard that prisoners enjoyed at Stanley, compared to camps like Auschwitz, the community which flourished (with a library, entertainment and other activities) helped to reduce the spread of deadly disease. There were few major outbreaks in Stanley, but in Sham Shui Po and other POW camps, there were.

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The general living standard in Sham Shui Po was far worse- there was no sense of community as all internees were men and many did not really know each other. Stanley's location as a camp was far better- there was a beach which internees were allowed on. Living conditions were similar to Stanley, though, as there was much overcrowding. 

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