The Washington times., 1918-05-10
DON'T SCRATCH!
GRIN WHEN BIT,
SOLDIERS TOLD

ATLANTIC CITY, May IO.-If
American boys in the trenches can re-
{ frain from scratching when a friend
ly "cootie" nips him, the susceptibility
Of the soldiers to trench fever will be
reduced to a minimum This is the
conclusion OF American and British
medical specialists after experiment.
ments of several months in France
in which fifty men OF Pershing's
forces voluntarily went through the
agOnies Of the disease in the interest
Of science.
Announcement Of the experiments
was made here today at the annual
meSlEha 5raths Associations OF Amert-
can Physicians by DR.. J. +. Opie. dean
Of Washington University,FSf. Louis
Trench fever is the greatest disability
factor outside OF casualties from enc
my attacks. -
DR.. Opie was a member OF the
American Medical Commission that
assisted in the experiments. He has
just returned from the front. The
call for volunteers was made when
the Pershing forces were preparing
to take their regular trick in the
trenches. Many responded, although
they had seen and been warned how
painful the fever was. Fifty huskies
were selected and taken to the sta
tionary English hospital behind the
American lines.
OF Two Kinds.
Two kinds OF "coOties" were used
wild lice" from the first line
trenches, taken from soldiers who
were ready to supply any number,
and a more domesticated species i'm
ported from England. Both were per-
mitted 10 spend six or seven hours
on trench fever patients and tLcn
transferred to the healthy subjects.
or twenty who first underwent the
experience, fourteen contracted trench
fever in from three to twenty
days. with all the painful symptoms.
These start with peculiar twinges.
somewhat like rheumatic attacks, in
the shins, spread through the system
producing high recurring tempeTa-
lures. spots on the skin as in typhoid.
headaches and other agOnies which
the patients bore like men," DR.. OpIe
stated.
The men were permitted TO scratch
so that normal conditions would pre-
vail It was discovered that unless
there was an abrasion Of the SKIN
resulting from scratching the bites
did not take
COOtIe Found Guilty.
Experiments were then made WlJH
"cootics" that were not permitted 10
feed on trench fever subjects and not
a single case Of the fever resulted
in the healthy subjects. To further
prove the theory that the "coOty' IS
the carrier. healthy soldiers were per
mitted TO mingle with fever patients
free OF coolies" and none contracted
the disease.
1t was the conclusion Of the speaker
that the fever would be eliminated.
Steps were being taken to eliminate
the Coolies" supplies Of the anti
itch" powders and liquids and the
fact will be impressed upon the SOL
diers that scratching brings no re-
lief and only opens them to fever
attacks. The course OF the fever runs
anywhere from several weeks to sew
cral months, and while the mortality
is almost nothing. the patient is in
capacitated for long periods because
OF the weakening effects Of the dis
ease.
The association elected these officers:
President. DR.. Alexander McPhedram,
OF Toronto; vice president, DR.. II. NJ
BiEgs, OF New York: secretary, Dr.
Thomas McCrae. OF Philadelphia: re
corder DR.. W. w. Ford, OF Baltimore;
treasurer, DIT. J. a. Caps, Of Chicago;
councillors, Dr. TheObald Smith, OF
Princeton, and Or. =. +. Martin, Of
Montreal.