The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-09-17
Man WHO SERVES
Is HOST FOR THE
TRENCH C0OTEs

Washington. D. c.. Sept. i6-There is
IN Washington a man inconspicuously
doing his bit. or his all for his country
Dy serving as a host for body lice
the coolies of the war zone. He is
cooperating in very personal and
intimate degree with entomologists
OF the United States Department OF
Agriculture who are striving under di-
rectlon OF the Council of research OF
the council of National Defense. to
ina out preventiyeS and exterTnina-
tors for the pests that are not only
annoy and irritate American soldiers
but that spread trench fever ana
other disease among them.
This man formerly served the city
OF Chicago in public capacity. He
mas son with the American Expedi-
tionary Forces in France, and wnen
he volunteered to be a subject in the
experimental work of the entomolo-
glsts he said he was willing to do any
thing that would help out the boys
over there. Valuable data in regard to
the coolies" have been obtained
from the parasites living on his body,
and moving pictures of them have
been taken through microscope The
pictures are to be magnified and
shown at army camps before scien-
lists and arm. army Officers engaged in
What Scientists Aim To Do.
The entomologists in addition to
watching these particular Coolies
and other confined in glass tubes and
other places, are testing chemicals to
learn their destructive action on lice
their effect on human bodies and
their penetration of clothing. Also,
they are cooperating woith army Of
Ulcers in testing laundering and de-
Iousing processes. ThaQ are trying to
add to the knowledge of how to repel,
Kill or drive away the tiny parasites
that to many of our soldiers have
proved more troublesome than the
Huns
One Of the scientists Of the bureau
-of Entomology, Department of Agri-
culture, also is serving as host for the
parasites, but in more restricted
sense than the Chicago man. His
"cooties" are confined under glass
top of a wristlet, much like a wrist
watch. and they pass their existence,
from the egg stage to the dead adult
on the skin of his arm and can not
move to any other spot. Through
the glass cover the entomologist can
watch the ''cooties" as they emerge
from their shells and go through all
the stages Of their life cycle
Extensive government efforts TO de-
wise ways of overcoming the parasitic
evil are under way. Similar efforts
have been made and are being made in
practically every country that, has
large armies in the field. The war CEN
tered attention of entomologists on
body lice, which previous to the con-
flict had not received as much atten-
ton as scientists believe they deserve
Not Yet Serious in Camps
The .cootie'' has not yet appeared
in numbers at the camps in this coun-
try, but If it should do so military au-
thorities expect to be ready to deal
with it. Men serving for long periods
in the trenches. or at other places
where bathing and disinfecting facili-
ties are not available are the princi-
pal sufferers.
Delousing stations where thorough
bathing, hair clipping and disinfect-
ton of clothing can be done have been
established in the war zone.
The moving pictures that are to be
part Of the campaign against coolies"
show how the louise comes into exist
ense how it passes into the numph stage
and from that to the adult, and how
it propagates its species. They also
will show LESSONS caused by the bites
OF the parasites and how to find the
eggs and the insects themselves in the
folds of clothing. These will be added
to films to be taken under the direc-
ton of the War Department which will
show delousing station, the devices
used, and a company of men Kidding
themselves Of their unwelcome wish
tors.
Togather and correlafe all the scien-
tific knowledge available on the SUBJ
ject. Bureau Of Entomology scientists
have organized a study class that
meets weekly and sends reports of It's
findings to army officers and others
engaged in eradication of parasites.