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Lice.More familiar parasites are the common bed-bug and the flea. In the United States the flea is associated in the popular mind with the dog and cat, but in many parts of Europe the flea is a con stant inhabitant of the bed-chamber and even of the body linen. In this country the physician finds as the most frequent animal parasites of the skin three varieties of lice. Each of these varieties is characterized by certain features of size and shape and by its habits. The largest of the three is the body louse [pediculus vestitnenti). This animal lives altogether in the clothing, and hence when its presence is suspected it does not suffice to examine the body simply in order to detect it. Search should always be made in the creases and folds of the underclothing, especially in those parts where it rub closely upon the person ; thus they are especially liable to be found around the shoulders and under the arms, around the hips and between the thighs. The presence of these parasites is indicated by the intense itching and by the occurrence of minute red spots or small dried flakes of blood. The irritation caused by the parasites results in scratching, which then induces the development of pimples. These are irritated, their tops scratched of, and there finally results an extensive rash on the skin, which may become so serious that the origin of the difficulty is not suspected. Body lice are usually found first around the neck and shoulders ; and the rash induced by them consequently appears first in these parts. Subsequently, however, the animals find their way over the entire body, and the skin may accordingly exhibit their effects throughout its entire extent. Treatment.-So soon as the existence of body lice is discovered, all the clothing worn by the patient should be put into an oven and kept at a temperature of at least 225 degrees F. for two or three hours. This will be sufficient to destroy the mature animals, though it may not annihilate the nits, which are also found upon the clothing. To accomplish this latter object the under clothing and the linen should be subsequently boiled ; and it will be better to repeat this process again during the course of a week. As for the body of the patient himself nothing further is needed than a hot bath. After this, and the removal of the cause, the rash on the skin will subside spontaneously. This species of louse does not inhabit the hair, and, therefore, need occasion no anxiety as to the condition of the head. In order to prevent the return of any of the parasites which may have escaped the efforts made for their destruction, the following ointment may be rubbed upon the skin : Perchloride of mercury, - Two grains. Chloride of ammonium, - One drachm. Alcohol, ------ One ounce. Rose water, ----- Four ounces. The head louse is smaller than the former and lives exclusively on the scalp ; three or four are often found on one hair, the lowest being the oldest. These lice may extend their depredations some what outside of the hairy part of the scalp, and may invade the neck and even the face. The irritation caused by them is often sufficient to induce eczema of the scalp ; in every case of this disease search should be made for these animals as the possible cause. The nits or eggs of the head louse are firmly attached to the hair, so that they cannot be removed by combing, nor, indeed, in any way without destroying them. These hatch in about nine days ; hence the head may be thoroughly cleansed of all the mature animals today, but be thickly populated again by the end of the week. Treatment.-The lice can be removed by careful combing with a fine-tooth comb. The nits can be destroyed by any one of several agents. It is not necessary to cut off the hair to accomplish this. One of the speediest ways for eradicating both the mature lice and the nits from the head consists in the application of kerosene oil. The head and hair should be thoroughly shampooed with this oil three times in the course of the day, and the head should be bound up in a towel during the intervals. At the end of twenty-four hours the head and hair may be thoroughly washed with soap and water. The towel which has been used to cover the head should be baked thoroughly in the oven. In carrying out this plan, extreme care should of course be taken to keep lights and fires away from the individual's head. Several serious accidents have followed the neglect of this simple precaution. Those who may deem kerosene oil too unpleasant and irrita ting for application to the head, may use the following substitute : An ounce of stavesacre seeds may be bruised in a mortar or in a cup, into which there may then be poured half a pint each of alcohol and water. The vessel is then thoroughly shaken and allowed to stand covered for half an hour, at the end of which time the liquid may be rubbed into the scalp and onto the hair. This shampooing may be repeated three times during the day ; on the following day the hair is washed with soap and water. If this measure prove unsuccessful, the hair may be washed with a solution of corrosive sublimate, three grains of which are dissolved in six ounces of water. Yet it must be repeated that this substance cannot be used by an inexperienced person without some danger. The third variety of louse which makes its home on the human body is the one known as the pediculus pubis, vulgarly known as the " crab louse. " This animal inhabits the hair on all parts of the body except the head. It is more frequently found, therefore, in the hair of the genitals, but also inhabits the beard and the eyelashes. In the latter situation it is a frequent cause of a disease of the eye, which is manifested by the formation of thick crusts along the edges of the lids. Close inspection shows that these crusts consist largely of the lice themselves, which cling so closely to the hairs that they are detached with great difficulty. These lice may be destroyed by kerosene oil. They are also destroyed by the common mercurial ointment, though this should be used with caution in order not to provoke salivation. Perhaps the most convenient way is the use of the ordinary " insect powder. " By blowing this powder freely upon the parts two or three times a day the animals are destroyed and may be washed off subsequently with soap and water. The irritation caused by lice, whether on the body or the head, often results in swelling of the glands near the irritated part of the skin. Thus their presence in the hair of the head often causes the appearance of lumps at the back of the neck, especially in scrofulous and ill-nourished children. These lumps may proceed to the formation of abscesses and boils. On other parts of the body, too, such lumps may form and discharge matter profusely. So soon as the cause of irritation - the lice-is removed, these abscesses subside. After an individual has been afflicted for a considerable time with body-lice, and has relieved himself by violent scratching, the skin presents numerous discolored spots and lines of a darker hue than natural. These dark spots persist for some weeks after the cause of the irritation has been removed, but ultimately disappear. The fact that lice are often found in and around the abscesses which result from the irritation of the skin, gave rise in former times to various fables, which were believed by the medical profession as well as by the people. Thus Aristotle taught that lice were produced in the flesh of the individual, and that they came out to the surface through these abscesses. It was asserted that individuals sometimes died through this production of lice in their bodies out of the injurious humors that were circulating in the blood. It was believed that the Danish King Snyo, for instance, died of this disease. Lice are, however, air-breathing animals, and cannot, of course, exist under the skin. They are found only upon the surface of the skin, or upon the garments covering the skin, where they have opportunities for breathing. But first, if you want to come back to this web site again, just add it to your bookmarks or favorites now! Then you'll find it easy! Also, please consider sharing our helpful website with your online friends.
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