The Health bulletin [serial] - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

20 The Health Bulletin December, 1927
Ry D. E.
SCABIES
FORD, M.D.
There is an affliction—it miglit be
called a disease—which is often very
annoyinj;: to our scliools. It is commonly
called the Itch, but is medically
known as Scabies. It appears in nearly
every school at some time durin.i: the
year ; and it is only by constant vigilance
on the part of those in charge
that prevents its spread.
It is caused by a little bug. This
little animal is just big enough to be
seen with the naked eye. It would
look like a minute black speck if put
on a piece of white paper.
The female of this little animal
(whose real name is Acarus Scabiei),
burrows into the skin usually where it
is tenderest—such as between the
fingers, but spreads nearly all over.
When she gets well dug in she lays
her eggs.
The eggs hatch in about two days
and the young ones make their way
out, grow up, and the next generation
of wives digs in to lay eggs.
This causes intense itching, and the
victims scratch. They keep on scratching
and digging. The scratched places
scab over or get infected with "blood
poison" and form pusy sores. Then the
poison from these sores is spread about
by the scratching.
The little animals get into the sheets
and blankets and underclothing and
make life miserable for the whole
family.
Each teacher is on the watch for
this—for the first case in his school.
Suspicious cases are reported to the
health department. The children are
sent froTi school and kept out till
cured. This isn't always ( asy. Sometimes
several in a family scattered
through several school rooms will have
it. the baby and mother and father at
home will have it.
A child is sent home, treated and
comes back cured—then he gets another
batch of bugs from the untreated
home foils.
The treatment isn't difficult, but is
troublesome and must be thorough to
really cure. The important parts of the
medicine are sulphur in an eily substance.
This must be rubbed into the
skin. No medicine by mouth is of any
use.
The best salve is Danish Ointment
wh'ch all drug stores se'.l. Take a hot
bath, dry thoroughly and then rub this
ointment into the skin all over. Go to
bed in clean night clothing and bed
clothing and next morning take another
hot bath. Put on clean clothes.
All underclothes and sheets must be
boiled to clean them. Repeat the treatment
in t\^o or three days.
This doesn't cure the scratches and
sores which must be treated the same
as sores from any other cause.
A careful mother can rid her children
of the Scabies easily. It's not
this kind that annoy our schools. It
is the fami.y that doesn't care and
won t take the trouble to keep their
children clean that keeps the school
upset.—jVe«' Bern Times.
"SCIENCE AND PUBLIC HEALTH'
Last October the American Public
Health Association met in Cincinnati,
Ohio, whei-e in 1873 the first scientitic
meeting of that association was held.
The president this year was Dr. Charles
V. Chapin, who has been Superintendent
of Health of the city of Providence,
Rhode Island, for more than
forty years. Dr. Chapin is one of the
most distinguished heaith officers in the
United States. The above title, which
was the subject of Dr. Chapin's Presidential
Address, was a discussion of
the progress preventive medicine has
made since this tirst scientific meeting
of that association in 1873. We are
herewith publishing the following extracts
from that address which we are
sure will be of very great interest to
our readers.
Science Is
Progressive
"Science can never be a closed book.
It is like a tree, ever growing, ever