TYPHUS FEVER 107 



bits of flannel and these must be brought into contact with the skin 

 and the lice allowed to eat twice a day. They take hold promptly and 

 feed greedily but never detach themselves from the flannel. The 

 female after pairing begins to deposit eggs or nits at the rate of about 

 5 per day. These hatch after periods which vary markedly with 

 the temperature. Cold delays the hatching, but even freezing does not 

 destroy the nits. Under favorable conditions the larvae emerge about 

 the sixth day, and immediately begin to feed. Body lice seem not 

 to be hardy and soon die unless they have frequent opportunity of 

 feeding, but the clothing may carry the nits quite indefinitely and 

 these may hatch when the conditions become favorable. The newly 

 hatched do not survive more than thirty-six hours without food. 

 The lice are easily killed by gasoline or benzine or by turning the 

 underclothing inside out and carefully applying a hot iron. Special 

 attention should be given to the seams. Boiling quickly destroys 

 both the insects and their eggs. It will be seen that as simple as 

 these requirements are in ordinary life they are quite impracticable 

 to the soldier in the trenches, especially when he has no change of 

 underclothing. It is said that this parasite feeds only on dirty people 

 and that it will not Infest those who wear silk, but the soldier must 

 be dirty, sometimes at least, and he is not supplied with silk under- 

 wear. Gasoline and benzine cannot be used by the soldier on account 

 of their ready inflammability. A dilute solution of lysol or cresol 

 soap made into a lather is applied to the inside of the clothing and 

 left there to dry. Physicians and nurses in caring for typhus patients 

 are exposed to great danger and the death-rate among them has 

 always been high. In recent years more than one medical man has 

 contracted typhus in trying to solve its etiology and of the six Ameri- 

 can physicians who have recently studied typhus fever in Mexico 

 three have contracted the disease and two have died Conneff of the 

 State University of Ohio and Ricketts of the University of Chicago. 

 These are names now added to the martyr roll of science. Of 

 Ricketts, his teacher and friend, Hektoen, has deservingly said: 



Those near him know that he fully understood the dangers to which he 

 would be exposed and the risks he would run. He decided he would take those 

 risks, meet the dangers with all possible means of prevention, and do the work 

 that would come to his hands. And so he made the great sacrifice and gave 

 all that a man can give to his fellow men. 



