The Washington times., 1919-01-05

somewhat larger than the head louise and
Is Of dirty gray color, from which Il re-
ceived the nickname agrayback" during
the Cixil War The nits. or eggs, are oval.
peariy bodies. The yermin and the eggs
are found in the seama OF clothing and on
the hairs OF the body. The inner clothing
IL preferred, but they live in the outer
clothing as WELL They are most frequently
found In the seams OF the undershirts,
drawers, fork Of the trousers, armpits and
waistIine. Body lice frequently lay their
eggs In the hair Of the head, as well as In
that OF the body. Nits are found even In
the eyebrows.
The eggs take seven or ten days to
hatch under normal conditions that Ii, In
clothing that 10 worn constantly. II dis.
carded and allowed to cool for a period
each day the time Of Matching may be ex.
tended for Eve weeks. They can exist
without food. apart from any host, for nine
days. The young take from ten to four
teen days to attain maturity. Females,
after attaining maturity, require two to
four days before they commence to lay
eggs. Egg production cannot take place
without food or under cool conditions (be-
low IS degrees Fahrenheit). As many As
ten or twelve eggs per day may be laid
by each female. A total OF three hundred
eggs may be laid by one female. A female
after maturity may live for forty-six days.
Before the close Of her life q single female
may have 4,160 living offspring.
cootie bites by seizing the skin with
its lips (which consist Of q circle OF small,
hook-liket projections) and then thrusting
the sucking apparatus through It. Germs
carried by the louise may thus be intro
duced along with its saliva, but II Is be-
lieved that a commoner manner Of infec.
tion in the case OF man comes about
through scratching of skin irritated by
bites; the excretions Of the pest are thus
rubbed into the irritateG areas and into
the bite by the victim himself, such ex-
cretions perhaps containing disease germs
sucked in with the blood OF the previous
victim, who may have had trench fever
or relapsing fever or typhus.
The cootie has been responsible for
transmitting q larger percentage Of dis.
ease In the present war than any other
single factor. and lice are common enough
In civil life 10 arouse fears for the imme-
diate future. We hnd the following mem.
brandum emanating from the Surgeon.
Generals office:
Body lice have been found with more
or less frequency in troops reaching the
ports Of embarkstion in this country
and upon arrival at foreign ports
Observations recently made In this country
showed louse infestation in AZ per cent of
a group Of negro soldiers and in 06 per
cent OF a group Of white soldiers. In a
body OF negro workmen in a certain camp
100 per cent were found carrying body
ice. At the same time 81 per cent of the
;rews Of transports were found louse in
tested. AS these observations were made
in Summer, when the incidence of body
vermin is low. it is fair to assume that the
percentage will be higher in Winter"
Returning soldiers harboring the organ
isms Of trench diseases from which they
have suffered while at the front, can easily
become in this country the source of louise
borne infection Of others. Therein lies
our danper