115 



•are given recording the number of cases occurring under various 

 climatic conditions, the daily temperature during the period of the 

 ej^idemic, etc. 



Di Pace (I.). Le basse Temperature nella Lotta contro il Pidocchio 

 del Corpo. [The Use of low Temperatures against the Body- 

 Louse.] — Annali d'lgiene, Rome, xxviii, no. 3, 31st March 1918, 

 pp. 130-137. 



In many circumstances the usual methods of removing hce from 

 •clothing cannot be resorted to. The action of low temperatures, such 

 as occur during 6 or more months in the year in mountainous districts 

 on the Italian front, is a useful help that compensates for its lower 

 •efl&ciency by the fact that it is within the reach of all engaged in moun- 

 tain warfare waged at altitudes between 6,000 and 8,000 feet. As all 

 the men possess a second set of clothing, the one in daily use should 

 be hmig out at night and then brushed with a stiff brush on the fol- 

 lowing morning. The hce, which are numbed by temperatures 

 beneath 42°-43° F., do not cling firmly and falling on the snow will 

 die there within 3-4 days. The operation must be repeated from time 

 to time in order to remove the lice that have hatched out after the 

 first treatment, as this process affects the lice only and not the eggs. 

 It must be remembered that incubation requires at least 40 days in 

 clothing and that this period will be greatly prolonged if the clothes 

 are hung out for about 14 hours in 24 at temperatures varying between 

 35° F. and 14° F. As in the case of other methods this process must be 

 practised by all the men if it is to be successful. The experiments 

 leading to the above conclusions are described in detail. 



Eeakes (C. J.). Notes Regarding Ticks found on Farm Animals in 

 New Zealand. — Jl. Agric, Wellington, N.Z., xvi, no. 2, 20th 

 February 1918, pp. 83-86. [Received 23rd April 1918.] 



The Queensland cattle-tick Margarojms {Boophilus) anmdatus 

 ■australis, the transmitting agent of tick fever, has never been discovered 

 in New Zealand. The ticks that occur on cattle are Ixodes ricinus 

 .and a species of Haemfiphysalis. 



Though ticks do not cause diseases in New Zealand, yet measures 

 for their destruction should be undertaken by stockowners, since they 

 occasion loss through lowering of condition, decreasing the milk-yield 

 of cows, causing deterioration in the value of hides, and causing 

 possible mortality among animals already weakened by various forms 

 •of sickness. 



The best treatment consists in spraying the infested parts of the 

 skin with Stockholm tar, after which all dead ticks should be collected 

 and burned. Other spraying preparations consisting of kerosene 

 ^ pint, linseed oil | pint, and sulphur 1 oz. ; or kerosene 10 oz., with 

 lard 10 oz., tar 2 oz., and sulphur 1 oz., ultimately destroy the ticks, 

 though their action is much slower. Very strong solutions of sheep-dips 

 have also proved effective, though the cattle are liable to suffer from 

 their effects, when used at the necessary strength. 



