Among the Bulgarians cholera did not become very widespread; throughout the entire territory occupied by the Bulgarians, cases of cholera, to be sure, were observed, particularly along the Tchatalja lines. But the Bulgarians fought the pestilence with energetic measures; the troops were given nothing but boiled water, and careful attention was paid to what they ate; the railway dépôts were thoroughly disinfected, as were all places in which large numbers of people congregated. During the armistice the Bulgarians were forbidden all intercourse with the Turks. For the troops transported back home quarantine stations were established. The result of all these precautionary measures was eminently successful. In Bulgaria itself only sporadic outbreaks of cholera occurred, as in Sofia, Stara Zagara, and in the district of Shumla;[323] on January 18, 1913, Bulgaria was entirely free from cholera. Typhus fever broke out very frequently in all the armies, but detailed information regarding its prevalence has not been published. According to the reports which have thus far been issued, the disease did not appear in the form of epidemics in any of the armies; on the other hand, it is stated that it broke out among the Turkish prisoners in Bulgaria and Servia, as in Tatar-Bazarjik, Ligotin, Zajecar, and Kujazevas. CHAPTER X EPIDEMICS IN BESIEGED STRONGHOLDS When fortified cities are subjected to a long siege the death-rate in them increases considerably; if diseases break out during the siege, they spread beyond expectation and carry away large numbers of people. The greatest enemy of the people in a besieged city is hunger. Since the approaching hostile army causes the inhabitants of the surrounding country to take refuge in the cities, the latter suddenly become overcrowded, moreover with people who are generally quite penniless and have to be provided for by the rest. In former years, when warfare was much more cruel than it is to-day, this was especially the case. Furthermore, the size of the garrison must be rapidly increased, or perhaps the whole of a retreating army, as was the case in Metz, must be quartered in the stronghold. Accordingly, the first step taken by the commander of a fortress must be to ascertain the quantity of provisions on hand, and to work out an appropriate plan for the distribution of them. How the quality of the bread becomes more and more unsatisfactory, and finally reaches the point where the product is scarcely worthy of the name bread; how people are obliged to eat the flesh of horses, dogs, and other animals; how the prices of the necessaries of life soar _ad infinitum_—all this is so well known that it needs no further exposition. Besides the absence of these necessaries of life, the lack of milk, fats, salt, and vegetables is accompanied by various consequences; very frequently improper and badly prepared food gives