Waterbury Democrat., 1900-10-22
NEW FORM. OF ITCH.

new possessions is 2 tropical form of itch generally known as dhobies.
 This ailment has made its appear ance in Iowa, and its outbreak is said to be due to some returned soldiers, says the New York World.
 There is some. doubt nt present whether it is the Cuban itch or the Philippine variety which is known as dhobies itch.
 It is thought by Surgeon General sternberg, of the United States army, to be the Philippine kind, because the Fifty first Iowa regi giment recently re- turned from. the islands. On the other hand, a physician of Eidora, la, where a number of eases have brok- en out, declares that it is the Cuban itch. In any case, they are merely variations of the same thing. Dhobies is the common name for it in the east. -
 The outbreak of the disease has caused a great deal of alarm in Iowa, where it was at first mistaken by the sufferers for smallpox. Tho first symptoms of the tropical itch bear n very alarming resemblance to that terrible disease. Even now that it is
 
 it is none the less very distressing and much feared.
 Tha. most unpleasant feature about the itch is that it is extremely con tagions. It spreads from one person to another with great rapidity. Un- 1 less prompt and strong measures are taken to check it there is no reason why it should not spread to whole i city. The banker in his bank and belle in her boudoir will be attacked by it. and their dignity and beauty seriously impaired
 | Dhobies is extremely common | throughout sou.hern Asia, region which includes tlre Philippine islands. The people are engaged large part Of the time in scratching themselves, an occupation which saves them from thinking too mulch of their other troubles. The spaniards, needless to say, have done nothing to cure a trouble that arises chiefly from per sonal neg1ectfulness. With the ad- vance of Anne rican civilization in" the east dhobies will doubtless fly.
 In Scotland an ailment of similar appearance is due to excessive eat ing of oatmeal A former duke of Argyle erected O large collection of strong posts on his estate, and the hardy Scotchmen rub their backs against these, exclaiming, as they do so: God bless the duke of Argyle" Perhaps something of this kind will be needed in fowa.. -~- '5a '-
 The medical department of tho army is receiving rhany reports from ha fo1 ;r ha ir, Cuba indicating the alarming preva- lence of dhobies. In Cuba it is called the Cuban itch, and in the Philippines 1t is called the dhobies itch and penn phigus.
 Surgeon General Sternberg's atten- tion was called to the statement that the Cuban itch had broken out in Iowa, where it is attributed to sol diers returning from Cuba. Gen. Sternberg said: II do not know whether the itch in Iowa is or is not the itch which is prevalent in the tropical countries among the soldiers. It is more likely that the itch in Iowa was brought back not from Cuba but frXn the Philippines, where the Fifty: first Iowa served and returned to thix country. "
 This itch is something like tinea or ringworm. It is, of course, very pain full, and keeps the patient scratching Q great deal of the time. The war de- pariment has been called upon recent ly to send an increased lot of itch medicines or parasiticides to the Philippines, and in general to the army in the tropics. We do not re- gard the disease as at all dangerous It is only exceedingly annoying"
 Another medical department off, cial said: "The itch of which the sol. diers complain, and which has prob. ably been introduced into Iowa, is what is called in. the orient dhobies itch. It prevails everywhere, from the straits of Nalacta to Japan It is undoubtedly an aggravated form o1
 tinea, and affects the legs and backs of the men. While dhobies itch is ex. tremely annoying, stheres'ar other !; kinds of tropical itch which are more
 serious in character. These latter forms are the result of vegetable con , tact. and in some eases of the parasite which is called the .'iigger' This in 2 sect, invisible to the mixed eye, digs into the skin and remains there un ] i'll expelled by death from the oint ments which we nl41d out for the pur . pose of exterminating them. The de : partment knows nothing about thu Eo-called Cuban itch reported in Iowa . It may have been imported from the Philippines by volunteers from there i, or it may have been imported from Cuba by others under, the local nam.
 of Cuban itch; but the generic namt is dhobies itch. The tropical itch, un der the general name of dhobies, Ina. . numerous local names. For instance In Sumatra 1t Is called the Sumatr, Nch, ,in Malacca the ALalacca itch, ant h Cuba the Cuban itch. But it is no 7 serious. It is rSTy dixagreeable to th, ratientl but it ldoes1 not -disabIe hiu , srom any skinde of service ," On tie Dack Torch.
 Mrs. Bixby17...re you sure 1t was n, :, 1 hire ha rld xvh0 nr5erad fhpSe fyrr<sa -; ex