THE BODY-LOUSE OF MAN. 



99 



are attached to the clothing, especially along the seams 

 where these come in contact with the human body. From 

 about 60 to 70 eggs are deposited by each female. During 

 the Tvarmer part of the year these lice can increase very 

 rapidly in numbers, and Leeuwenhoek has estimated that a 

 single adult female could have in eight weeks a progenj^ of 

 5000. This rapid increase accounts for the manj authentic 

 accounts of their sudden appearance. A disease, mentioned 

 by the very earliest writers, the IVd/u'rias/'s, was stated to 

 be caused by lice and it seems probable that this is the spe- 

 cies referred to. These parasites prefer the less hairy parts of 



the body, as the neck, back, 

 and abdomen, where thej' can 

 cause a sort of eruption; or 

 the^^ simply redden the skin in 

 larger or smaller spots, which, 

 on account of the constant 

 scratching induced by the itch- 

 ing presence of the insect, 

 become sores. Fig. 67 show^s 

 this nasty parasite. 



Incases in Vk^hich the cloth- 

 ing is seldom changed, as is 

 usually the case in armies dur- 

 ing War, these insects, fre- 

 quently called "Grey -backs," 

 increase very rapidly in num- 

 bers and become a great source of annoyance. Many, if not 

 most of our veterans can tell wonderful stories about these 

 parasites; in fact some yarns have been told about them 

 that require a very strong constitution to stand the strain 

 in believing them. These lice become also ver^^ numerous in 

 lumber-camps and other places where bathing and a fre- 

 quent change of clothing are out of the question. Persons 

 forced to live for a long time in camps can only protect 

 themselves against these unpleasant intruders by cleanli- 

 ness, and by changing their underwear as frequently as pos- 

 sible. The parasites in soiled clothing are readily killed by 

 boiling or baking it. 



Fig. 67.— Body-louse of man. Great 

 ly enlarged. Original. 



