188 UNDER THE OPEN SKY 



an oil that is not volatile. It is, however, 

 most persistent, and can be easily trans- 

 ferred from one object to the other. One 

 person getting it on his hands and then 

 washing and wiping his hands on a towel 

 can later give it to any person who is un- 

 fortunate enough to use the same towel. 

 Furthermore, a person treading on the plant 

 can later transfer it to his skin on removing 

 his shoes. If a person who has unwittingly 

 brushed against it will promptly scrub his 

 hands well with warm water and soap, he 

 can often remove all trace of the oil before 

 the eruption appears. The same treatment 

 early in the attack will sometimes be enough 

 to prevent its spread. Once well estab- 

 lished on the skin, no remedy seems to even 

 allay its violence until it has run its course. 

 Each person has his own pet treatment, but 

 none commands the general regard of phy- 

 sicians. One thing the oily nature of the 

 original poison makes evident, and that is, 

 that oily remedies run great risk of simply 

 dissolving the poison and thus spreading 

 the disease over a larger surface. 



