508 
Combating Lousiness 
( b) Experiments upon Verminous Men. 
Note regarding methods. The method of testing the insecticide is 
mostly stated in the table. The Report (1915, pp. 53-58) herein cited 
relates to tests carried out on 51 persons in Russia, the insecticide being 
rubbed on the body and clothing. 
Kef. 
No. 
Insecticide tested 
(vapour or contact) 
Experimental conditions 
Result 
Au¬ 
thority 
274 
Anisol 
Sprayed and dusted on 2 lousy 
men, amount valued at ca. 4 
shillings 
No apparent effect over¬ 
night 
R. 
275 
Camphor 
Bags of camphor worn under 
shirt 
Exerted but slight effect 
Rep. 
276 
Cyclohexanone* 
(sold in Germany as 
“Lausofan”) 
20 % powder on men’s bodies 
and clothes or in bed when 
wrapped up 
Most lice killed in 2-3 hrs 
W. 
276a 
ditto 
20 % powder or spray on body 
and clothes, injuring neither. 
Author has treated 500 men in 
bed in 5 hrs in Gottingen Priso¬ 
ners’ Camp 
Lice and nits killed in 5 hrs 
M. 
277 
Formalin, 10 % 
(commercial) 
Sprayed twice in succession on 
all clothing. Men can put on 
clothes at once as good atomizer 
scarcely wets. If damp, shake 
and brush. May be necessary to 
rip seams to spray [therefore 
practically useless] 
Author claims that lice and 
nits are killed as found in 
2 months’ practice 
O. 
278 
Mercurial ointment, 
15-20 % + naph¬ 
thaline 
Applied to skin and clothes; 3 
applications caused dermatitis 
Lice killed 
Rep. 
279 
Naphthaline 
Bags worn under shirt. To be 
effective had to be renewed 
every 3 days 
Lice killed 
Rep. 
280 
Oil of eucalyptus 
About 1 c.c. per square of 125 
cm. sprinkled on clothing of 8 
lousy men living with other 
lousy persons. Repeat treat¬ 
ment after 8 days 
No lice found on treated 
clothes after 24 hrs but 
young lice appeared after 
8 days (nits are therefore 
not killed) 
S. &F. 
280a 
See note above table re Methods 
Merely stupefied lice for 1-2 
hrs 
Rep. 
281 
Petroleum and tur¬ 
pentine 
ditto 
Found ineffective 
Rep. 
282 
Sabadilla vinegar 
with 10 % Peru 
balsam 
ditto 
Exerted but slight effect 
Rep. 
283 
Tricresol powder, 
3% 
Recommended by Herxheimer 
and Nathan. Experiment: 30 g. 
dirsted on 2 heavily infested men 
No effect observable after 
ca. 24 hrs 
R. 
283a 
ditto 
— 
Only kills lice after long ex¬ 
posure 
H. 
284 
Various essential oils 
and cottonseed oil 
(equal parts) 
See note above table re Methods 
Found ineffective 
Rep. 
285 
Xylol or creolin (50 
%) and cottonseed 
oO 
ditto 
ditto 
Rep. 
* Holste (1915, p. 738) experimented on rabbits and found that cyclohexanone produced no 
effects upon the skin or by inhalation, but it produced conjunctivitis. 
