South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-12-08
Cold Germs Often
the Cause of Boils
By Woods Hutchinson. NJ. ID.


The Worlds Foremost Writer on
Medical Subjects.
The most deadly and. probably,
on the whole, most frequent way
in which boil-bugs reach the back
Of the neck is by being carried
there upon finger tips or under
finger nails. The process forms a
beautiful illustration of the social
ed vicious circle" in disease. a
collar or neckband begins to chafe
the back Of the neck. The man who
owns the neck puts his hand up
to rub or scratch il and relieve the
itching. Any bugs which may hap
pen 10 be upon his hand from the
dust or mud of the street or the soil
in which he may have been work
ing, or the meat which he has been
cutting up. or the domestic animals
which he has been handling or
driving, are carried to the seed bed
already prepared. and not only
sown upon il but narrowed in, given
a flying start as il were
Most direct and probably most
frequent Of all forms of bug trans
plantation is the carrying OF dis
charges from the nose and throat.
or pus from round the roots of the
teeth. by scratching the back Of the
neck just after blowing the nose or
picking the teeth.
This is one Of the reasons why a
crop Of boils is so much more likely
TO develop just after or during a
bad cold, for even the man who is
most scrupulous and sanitary in the
use Of his handkerchief can scarce
~ escape getting his fingers infect
ed with cold-germs either from nose
or throat.
Nor does the vicious interplay
end here. After the boil has broken.
the long-imprisOned boil-bugs
swarm out in their millions over the
surface of the surrounding skin. I'm
fortunately their successful colonial
ton in the hair foHicles has &C
climftized them and taught them
the trick of burrowing into and
gaining a foothold in the body It's
sues. so that if any other chafes or
scratches or irritated areas can be
found on the neck or upper part OF
the back. they promptly proceed TO
dig themselves in and make new
war trenches
And just as cockle-burs are scat
tered abroad by attaching them
selves to our clothing or TO the coats
of animals. so the busy little fingers
again come into play and. rubbing
2 10 to 4
stiffness Of the broken boil, pick
up their load Of bugs. which they
proceed 20 transfer TO other regions
Of the body surface
The original boil appears 10 re-
quire quite a combination of favor
ing circumstances TO enable il TO
make its first landing, such as are
only TO be found in perfection upon
the neck or, in lesser degree. upon
the next commonest starting place
Of boils. the wrists and backs of the
hands. But when once the trick OF
"sponging on" that particular body
has been learned then the slightest
scratch or weak spot Will suffice TO
give them an opening for entrance.
so that hollis keep on growing and
scattering over the body Of their un-
fortunate host after they have once
been fairly wished on him not
merely for weeks and months. but
even for years at "A stretch. almost
without a break.
This acclimatizaticn REGULARITY.
however. accounts for the one and
only redeeming feature Of hollis. and
that is. their comparative non-in-
fectiousness 10 others. Boils do oc-
casionany get transmitted TO other
victims. especially under bad sani-
tary and hygienic conditions but as
a general thing. the special boil
streptocOcci do not seem 10 grow
readily on a foreign soil or skin.