The Foreign Service Journal, February 2008

the patients were of a bluish-gray color and, on closer examination, I found that these areas so colored were in motion. I felt nauseated when I discovered that the color and motion were due to the closely packed colonies of lice and lice nits. … These insects would not remain on a dead person. When a man died, therefore, they usually began their march toward the nearest living per- son.” Lice, of course, were the vector through which typhus spread from human to human. And so, Capt. Henderson and his men set about their Herculean task of cleaning up not only Krenholm but also the dozens of nearby field hospitals in similar shape. The Americans first demonstrated the cleansing of patients who had been helpless and unattended for weeks, according to a contemporary ARC report. Under their command, the Russians worked in squads of 50 men each with soap, water and disin- fectants, cleaning patients, beds, linens and the buildings of the tempo- rary hospitals. These mobile sanitary squads — made up of Russian sol- diers who had survived their own bouts with typhus — deloused 9,000 people, disinfected 80 hospitals, and maintained the sanitary cordon pro- tecting the rest of Estonia from the dreaded disease. Using the American model and supplies provided by the ARC, the Estonian government even- tually put 80 squads (4,000 men) into the field to end the threat of typhus once and for all. This success came at a high cost in Russian, Estonian and even American lives. Having worked for almost a month in close proximity to so many typhus patients and victims, Capt. Henderson and his fellow ARC offi- cers came down with the disease just as they were finishing up their mission in Narva. While delirious with fever, Capt. Henderson assumed he was dying and decided he should bid farewell to his brother. He even thought he felt Roy’s hand on his shoulder in response. Later, while recuperating back in Tallinn, Hender- F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 8 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 41 His experience in the Baltics inspired Henderson to join the U.S. Consular Service in 1922. Interim Accommodations for Corporate and Government Markets Apartments, Townhouses & Single Family Homes “FOR THE EXECUTIVE ON THE MOVE” finder5@IX.netcom.com Locations throughout Northern Virginia and D.C. Units fully furnished, equipped and accessorized Many “Walk to Metro” locations Pet Friendly 5105-L Backlick Road, Annandale, Virginia Tel: (703) 354-4070 Fax: (703) 642-3619 Executive Lodging Alternatives