A GRIM REMINDER

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 119, 22 May 1942, Page 2

A GRIM REMINDER

SELF-PROTECTION IMPORTANT

(By the Health Department) There is a spider-like insect no bigger than the perforation caused by a small needle that is responsible, for one of life's major miseries. It is particularly fond of tender human skins. It burrows just beneath the surface, and there lays its eggs, and the victim, irritable and hollow-eyed from lack of sleep, is a grim reminder of the importance of self-protec-tion. The insect has a long Latin name, which doesn't mean much to the layman, but the disease it causes is known as scabies—and that means a lot to those who have had it. In the last war it was one of the chief disabling causes in the army, and this war it has cropped up^again. It is spread from person to person, and its favourite points of attack are the front of the wrists, the web of the fingers, the elbows and armpits, the abdomen, the buttocks, the knees, ankles and feet. The mite burrows in, a raised red spot appears, and then come the irresistible urge to scratch the itching part, particularly at night, when the warmth of the body in bed stimulates the insect to high-pressure burrowing activity. The result is loss of sleep and undermined health, and in children retardation of growth. Treatment must be properly carried out. Soak the body in a hot bath for ten to fifteen minutes, rub with soap, and finally scrub with a brush, especially where the spots are. Dry well, rub in Danish ointment (which has proved very effective) and stand the patient near a fire for ten minutes. After that, bed. Repeat the treatment the second day. A plain soap and water bath and clean clothes are advised for the third day, and it is important that all clothing and bedding should be thoroughly sterilised. If the spots reappear they will be caused by newly-hatched eggs. A repetition of the treatment ten days after the first one will usually end the trouble.