Gr. H. F. Nuttall 
425 
A close examination of the scalp about the ears and nape of the neck will, 
however, reveal the parasites, these regions being well-known sites of 
predilection for capitis, a matter that should be remembered in connec¬ 
tion with any form of head-treatment for pediculosis. Where shaving 
cannot be practised, the cutting of the hair short is the next best pro¬ 
cedure because it facilitates inspection and the application of insecti¬ 
cides. There is usually no difficulty about cutting the hair short in boys 
and men but obvious objections are encountered in the case of women 
and young children in whom the possession of long hair is a source of 
pride. 
In severely infested heads showing lesions due to scratching, etc., 
shaving and washing may not suffice because lice may be harboured 
beneath crusts and scabs. In such cases insecticides will have to be used 
in addition. 
The application of insecticides may follow or accompany the mechani¬ 
cal removal of lice as above described, or insecticides alone may have to 
be relied upon in dealing with hair that cannot be cut. The methods 
of applying insecticides to the head are described on pp. 520 et seq. 
(b) Phthirus. 
Crab-lice occur very rarely on the scalp-hair and beard; when 
present in these situations or upon the eyebrows they can be dealt 
with by the same methods that apply to capitis. When crab-lice occur 
on the eyelashes, as is more frequently the case, the insects and their 
nits may be picked off one by one with a fine forceps. The procedure 
requires patience. Bleicher (1882, p. 976) recommends the application 
of balsam of Peru about the eyelashes before proceeding to pick off the 
lice and nits, all the parasites being removed at one sitting. Jullien 
(cited by Dubreuilh and Beille, 1895, p. 139) removed 100 crab-lice in 
this way from the eyelashes of a patient. Brault (1906, p. 70) describes 
two cases in young men from whose eyelashes he picked off lice; in one 
case he applied yellow oxide of mercury ointment afterwards and 
effected a rapid cure. It is worth repeating that numerous nits on the 
lashes may give them a dusty appearance and that the lice at the lash 
bases may escape notice unless looked for closely. 
2. When the body is infested. 
Shaving the infested part or the whole body if need-be is the usual 
mechanical method used for the removal of Phthirus or Pediculus from the 
