The Ypsilanti daily press., 1944-11-02

mere.
So far as medical wisdom and
knowledge 90 on the subject, the
DR.. Clendening will answer
questions of general inter st
only, and then only through
his column.
danger is very remote. AL OF the
unfamiliar diseases TO which the
soldier in tropical or semi-tropical
regions has been exposed are in
sect-borne diseases and with an
alert public health administration
insect diseases can be controlled at
the source by controlling the in
sect.
Some of the insects could never
be acclimated to our geographical
location. For instance, fltdridsis
which is que TO the entrance into
the blood of a small worm and
which some of the members Of the
armed forces picked up in the
Pacific area is spread either by a
variety of mosquito which cannot
live except in tropical conditions,
or by a gnat or fly of which the
same is true. The soldiers will re-
turn and will probably carry the
filiariasis a long time because we
do not know any means TO kill 1t
of as we do malaria, but they will
not be reservoirs of disease, be-
cause there is no agent to transmit
it from one person to another.
Typhus Fever
Typhus fever, or spotted fever,
which may be encountered in many
parts of Southern Europe and the
Near East does not spread except
in the presence of the body louise.
A good delousing campaign can
eradicate any epinemic which gets
even a fair start. Since the Civil
War we have not been lousy
people.
1t may be difficult to get the CO.
operation of the characterization
cranks about smallpox vaccination,
but when it comes to de-lousing a
community, everybody joins IN
very heartily. The Army Santa
tion Corps always gets the CO.
operation of the natives in any in
vasion area where it is considered
necessary to do some de-lousing.
In certain areas of operations
where typhus fever is quite preva-
lent among the natives, as in North
Africa. where something like 49,
900 cases were reported, incidence
among troops was almost un-
known.
heard last winter most inter-
esting account from Colonel Hume,
of the United States Army Medical
Corps, of his experience in the
Balkans after World War l, in de-
lousing tie civil popularion. Inc
trick is to get the lice out of the
clothing which can only be done
by autoclaving all the clothing in
a sterilizer. And while the civilian
is standing around having his
clothes autoclaved, being in a state
of nature he is deloused by being
given a good thorough scrubbing
bath with strong soap and getting
all the lice and nits out of his
hair. And presto away goes your
typhus fever.
Prevalence Of Malaria
Typhus fever is not to be con-
fused with typhoid fever. 1t is also
called spotted fever, or jail fever,
and was once very prevalent and
very fatal in this country.
Malaria can be brought back by
the returning soldier or sailor, but
its spread is dependent on the mos
quito which carries it which can
and does live in our climate. Public
health measures can control the
spread of malaria by killing of
the mosquito and destroying its
breeding places.
Malaria was once very prevalent
all over the Mississippi, Ohio and
Missouri River Valleys as far
north as Illinois an Ohio. Read
Martin Chuzzlewit" for a descrip-
tion of the way it attacked the
frontier settlers. But we have il
under control now, excep. for very
difficult areas in the lower Missis-
sippi Basin. II may, however, get
started irrespective of climate. In
Russia, after the last war, there
was violent epidemic which ex-
tended even TO Archangel in the
Arctic Circle.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
S. B.: Are arsenic shots bene-
fetal in building up the blood Of an
anemic person?
Answer: Yes.
J. B.:-What bearing, II any,
does smoking have on duodenal