Siphonaptera, or Fleas 
125 
Indeed it is not altogether a question of susceptibility, for fleas seem 
to have a special predilection for certain individuals. The typical 
itching wheals produced by the bites are sometimes followed, especi¬ 
ally after scratching, by inflammatory papules. 
The itching can be relieved by the use of lotions of carbolic acid 
(2-3 per cent), camphor, menthol lotion, or carbolated vaseline. 
If forced to sleep in an infested room, protection from attacks can 
be in a large measure gained by sprinkling pyre thrum, bubach, or 
California insect powder between the sheets. The use of camphor, 
menthol, or oil of eucalyptus, or oil of pennyroyal is also said to afford 
protection to a certain extent. 
In the Eastern United States the occurrence of fleas as household 
pests is usually due to infested cats and dogs which have the run of 
the house. We have seen that the eggs are not attached to the host 
but drop to the floor when they are laid. Verrill, cited by Osbom, 
states that on one occasion he was able to collect fully a teaspoonful 
of eggs from the dress of a lady in whose lap a half-grown kitten had 
been held for a short time. Patton and Cragg record seeing the 
inside of a hat in which a kitten had spent the night, so covered with 
flea eggs that it looked “as if it had been sprinkled with sugar from 
a sifter.” It is no wonder that houses in which pets live become 
overrun with the fleas. 
One of the first control measures, then, consists in keeping such 
animals out of the house or in rigorously keeping them free from fleas. 
The latter can best be accomplished by the use of strong tar soap 
or Armour’s “Flesope,” which may be obtained from most druggists. 
The use of a three per cent solution of creolin, approximately four 
teaspoonfuls to a quart of warm water, has also been recommended. 
While this is satisfactory in the case of dogs, it is liable to sicken cats, 
who will lick their fur in an effort to dry themselves. Howard 
recommends thoroughly rubbing into the fur a quantity of pyrethrum 
powder. This partially stupifies the fleas which should be promptly 
swept up and burned. 
He also recommends providing a rug for the dog or cat to sleep 
on and giving this rug a frequent shaking and brushing, afterwards 
sweeping up and burning the dust thus removed. 
Since the larvas of fleas are very susceptible to exposure, the use 
of bare floors, with few rugs, instead of carpets or matting, is to be 
recommended. Thorough sweeping, so as to allow no accumulation 
of dust in cracks and crevices will prove efficient. If a house is once 
