Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-06-30
0MNENT-DR EVANS HEALTH TALK-HOUSEHO
CLEANLINESS BEST SAFEGUARD
AGAINST THE DEADLY TYPHUS
Ru WILLIAM A. EVANS. M. D.

V1H1S story Is primarily for the benefit
i of the soldiers preparing for Mexico
Very much the most important health
hazard for them In Mexico is typhus fever
Mexican typhus is Of the worst That
which demolished a Serbian army is no
worse than that which our soldiers may
have TO contend against in Mexico.
The bacillus of typhus clrculates in the
blood of persons infected with the disease.
1t is almost universally accepted now that
the bacillus is spread from man to man by
the bite of the ordinary body louise. While
there Is vaccine against typhus II Is not
certain that 1t Is effective. That means
that the measures for the control Of typhus
which have proved most effective are
measures directed against lice
When measures against lice were In
auBurated In the British army at the front
II was found that 95 per cent. of the men
were infested. The average number of lice
per soldier was 30.
Body lice breed in the clothing. The pre-
terred place is the seam in the fork of the
trousers. In 30 minutes after clean shirt
or clean underwear have been put on the
Insects infest them.
When lice abound they are likely to in.
Test buildings and trenches furniture and
oedclothing. This, however, Is exceptional.
They prefer to stick to warm clothing in
touch with the human body. Therefore,
men, not houses, trenches tents, beds or
bedding are the chief source of nfestation.
MEN should be given n certain time In
which to search for lice In their clothes
Good opportunities for bathing must be pro-
Nided Clothes that can be washed should
pc freed OF vermln by boiling. This kills
both lice and nits. Clothes other than wash
clothes should be sterlized by passing
through steam in a sterillzer at 2t5. Clothes
that can neither be boiled nor steamed can
be freed of lice and nits by ironing. A
hot iron kills lice and eggs. Clothes should
be ironed once or twice a week
The best insecticlde Is N c. I. powder,
consisting Of naphthalene, 90 per cent.
creosote, per cent. iodoform, 2 per cent.
a cheaper, and the English say better,
powder, is naphthalene, 90 per cent creo-
sote, per cent. magnesium slicate, per
cent This can be called the n. c. NJ. pow
der. This powder should be busted on the
body and In the clothes twice a week. The
powder is little irritating to the skin
between the legs. On that part of the
body instead of applying the powder grease
with crude oil ointment, four pounds; soft
parafin, two pounds, crude tar oil.
To clean the hair of lice and nits mop
the hair with cotton wet with tetrachlor-
thane.
An excellent emergency means of Kidding
clothes of lice and nits Is to put them In
kerosene There are certain practical OBJ
jectlons to its general use on a large scale.
The N. c. NJ. powder Is also to be busted
in the bedding.
Other louise remedies having some virtue,
according to a late English report, are:
Vermijelli; sulphur fumes and one
half solution cresol solution; chloride of
lime, Z per cent. solution; fresh Dalmatian
insect powder; mercury ointment; white
mercury powder. Sulphur and various pro-
prietary preparations were found useless.