Trench foot
The mainstay of treatment, like the treatment of gangrene, is surgical debridement, and often includes amputation. Self-treatment consists of changing socks two or three times a day and usage of plenty of talcum powder. Wherever possible, shoes and socks should be taken off, feet bathed for five minutes, patted dry, talcum powder applied and feet elevated to let air get to them.
Immersion foot syndromes
In the British Army, policies were developed to help the soldiers keep their feet dry - the surest way of preventing the disease. Soldiers were told to dry their feet, and keep them dry by changing socks several times a day. After the first year of the First World War, British troops were instructed to keep at least three pairs of socks with them and to frequently change them. The use of whale oil was also successful in combating trench foot. A British battalion in front line positions could be expected to use ten gallons of whale-oil every day.