The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-17
WHY THEY SCRATCH.
A Disagreeable but Not Dangerous Epidemic
Around the Ohio Fails.

Around the Ohio Fails.
Louisville Times
Louisville has the itch. The same report
comes from Jeffersonville and New Albany. 1t
is probable that 5000 people about the falls are
daily applying antidotes for the old-fashioned
years ago as 1.-The itch" 1t was then recognized
under the names of ''army itch, farmers itch
| and ''seven years itch" The remedy was a
nightly greasing from head to foot with hogs
lard and sulphur
Those who have had experience with the
present type pronounce it almost the same as
| the wellknown scabies of a score of yerars ago.
Its distinguishing peculiarities are that it is
both epidemic and contagious
A Times reporter was informed this morning
by several physicians that the itch is prevailing
locally to an alarming extent, and that the
victims were daily on the increase. It's advent
was sudden, and it's symptom perplexing. Many
of the afflicted ones are not aware of the nature
of their complaint until they have consulted a
doctor. The itch is eminentlv Democratic, and
is no reSpecter of persons.
The introduction of the scratching maladyinto
this section is accredited to the recent great IN
fux of tramps and their usual concomitants of
pestilential disease Physicians describe the
itch as vascular disease of the skin. All parts
of the body, except perhaps the head, are liable
to be affected, but the most common seats are
the wrists and hands, and especially between the
fingers
The first stage of the complaint is tickling
sensation, which. upon careful examination, is
found to proceed from minute conical vesicle,
while the adjacent portions of the cpl
dermis present more scaly appearance
than is natural The condition of the
skin is due to the presence of minute
tch-mite. which burrows within the epidermis
and excites irritation The affected parts itch
with increased intensity when the patient is
warm in bed or is warmly clad
The disease is communicated by contact either
Immediately. as by the act of shaking hands, or
through the medium of articles of clothing, as
bedding which have been used by person suf-
fering from the disorder
Physicians estimate that every twentieth
person in louisville has the itch. They are
kept busy In consultations and writing prescrip-
tions. while the druggists are besieged by people
in search of cure.
Those who have the disease find the DISPOSE
ton to scratch" irresistible This will explain
the peculiar conduct Of the young man who so
often pretends to be rearranging some portion
of his toilet. twitching at his clothes or moving
uneasily against some friendly projecting point
There is now no longer any mystery about the
action of the ladies on the street who have been
recently noticed turning and twisting in their
sealskins or suddenly dropping into the grateful
shelter of some doorway.
1t is now easy to explain why the young lady
in the parlor has so frequently to excuse herself
while she gets drink of water. The doctors
say they simply have the itch.
The disease is easily cured but if not arrested
VIII 60 on lot an lnueunlU6 peflOu-pFOUaDly Ior
| life. In a temperate climate like this it never
gives rise to serious injury to the health. Mum
berless remedies have been employed, but the
great specific is sulphur. DR.. Eras-
mus Wilson, the highest English au-
thority on skin diseases, recommends
that four ounces of sulphur ointment
should be well rubbed into the skin before the
fire, and particularly into the affected portions
morning and evening for two days It is de-
sirable also that the patient should wear fan
al and no
treatment. On the morning of the third day
the patient should take warm bath and wash
the skin thoroughly with plenty of soap when
the cure will be generally found to be effected
A popular prescription, much resorted to by
the ladies' is follows: Equal parts of flower of
sulphur and oxide of zinc; apply externally
Iodide of potassium FIVE grains; three drops of
Fowler's solution of arsenic, three times per day
| This is said to work infallible cure in from
two to four Gays. Physicians predict that the
| disease will rapidly spread throughout the
country and will prevail even more generally
than in 1864