OF THE HUMAN SKIN. 51 



ting ravages upon him, and partly on the degree 

 of the sensibility of the skin. As long as the 

 person lives, the mite will flourish on him, till it is 

 destroyed by proper methods. In the illustrations 

 marked 1, 2, 3, the mite, as is seen, is quite deep 

 in the scarf-skin ; our first effort towards treat- 

 ment must therefore be to soften and break down 

 or rub oft' this epidermis. Every one is familiar 

 with the efiect of the long-continued application 

 of warm water and soap to the skin, how" it swells 

 up the scarf-skin, softens it, and renders it easily 

 scraped or -I'ubbed oft". Therefore a person with 

 this highlj^ unpleasant trouble, must first thor- 

 oughly soak himself in hot water, and rub all parts 

 of the body which are the abodes of the mites 

 with the strongest soft soap. This will be half 

 an hour's Avork. The more delicate the skin, the 

 shorter time required. Next, the common sulphur 

 ointment must be rubbed thoroughly over the 

 body. This touches and is fatal to the itch-mite, 

 already exposed in whole or part by the burrows 

 being broken down by the soft soap and hot water. 

 If it does not produce too much irritation, the 

 ointment may be left on over-night, and removed 

 by a hot bath in the morning. With delicate 



