DISSEMINATION OF BODY-LOUSE 39 



them is to remain where they are in the hope of 

 the article being again worn. This is what the 

 majority do, though, as mentioned above, a few 

 are prone to wander. A stray louse, when it 

 finds a new host, can, of course, only multiply if 

 it happens to be a fertilised female. A male 

 or an unfertilised female would die without pro- 

 ducing young. A single louse, however, is enough 

 to cause an attack of a louse-borne disease, 

 should it be an infected one, and we have a 

 record of an officer who received a single louse 

 upon him, scratched himself, and in due course 

 developed trench fever. 



An unoccupied dwelling cannot be infested 

 by lice in the manner in which it may be by 

 bed-bugs or fleas. The presence of lice denotes 

 recent occupation, and after it has been vacated 

 for ten days it may be considered as absolutely 

 safe. Peacock (1), who studied the dissemination 

 of lice among our troops in France, discusses in 

 detail the reputation which certain dug-outs get 

 of being lousy. He comes to the conclusion that 

 this is due to the presence of infested men and 

 not to any inherent quality of the habitation. 

 The ones with the worst reputation were the 

 largest ones in which most men congregated. 



Bedding, however, is a most important source 

 of spread, and it is courting disaster to sleep in 

 that recently used by an infested person. Most 

 convincing figures in proof of this are quoted by 

 Nuttall (2). Dr. Hamer of the London County 



