546 
Combating Lousiness 
Kef. 
No. 
Sobel, writing from experience in New York schools, states that 
after applying the usual remedies “with only fair, and often dis¬ 
couraging results” the Department of Health there advise the 
following procedure (or No. 405 as an alternative) for school 
children: Shake the mixture and apply it, wrap the head in a towel 
or rubber cap to cover all hair, after 6-8 hrs shampoo the head as 
follows: add 1 teaspoonful of sodium carbonate to 2 quarts of warm 
water, wet the hair therewith, apply Castille soap and rub the head 
well for 10 minutes, rinse out the soap with clear warm water, dry 
well; repeat this once a week. Sobel omits to mention the use of 
vinegar for removing nits but directs that a comb be used for the 
purpose or else sandpaper. Renault merely mentions that the 
mixture is to be rubbed on the hair, whilst Fasal gives fuller 
directions including the use of vinegar. 
The method is recommended for use in the French Army (W.O. 
1915), the soldiers’ hair is cropped with clippers, anointed and 
rubbed with a cloth which is left overnight wrapped about the head. 
Lelean also advocates the method (see pp. 566, 567). 
The foregoing evidence proving the usefulness of the method 
comes from independent sources in different, countries and there¬ 
for carries weight. 
452. Petroleum, olive oil and Peru balsam, for capitis and corporis. 
These constituents "are recommended in various proportions, 
100 : 50 : 20 g. by Railliet, 100 : 50 : 10 g. by the Italian authorities 
(Bertarelli). Railliet prefers the mixture to either staveacre, blue 
ointment, pyrethrum or flowers of sulphur (the last two are useless 
by the way) for capitis. Bertarelli states that it has been recom¬ 
mended for use in Italy against capitis and corporis since March 1915. 
453. Petroleum, Peru balsam and oil of Laurel, for pubis. 
Prescribed by Brocq (Dubreuilh and Beille). 
454. Petroleum-soap emulsion, for corporis. 
Dissolve 1 kilo of soap in 2 litres of very hot water, add 2 litres 
of petroleum followed by 2 litres more of hot water. Apply hot as 
a spray to floors or a dip for boots. Recommended by Clerc who 
had charge of 500 enemy prisoners in a camp in Serbia. 
455. Petroleum-soap-cresol-sulphur emulsion. 
This consists of soft soap 56 lbs., petroleum 2| gallons, cresol 
| gallon, flowers of sulphur 1 lb. Mix and heat to ca. 100° C. w r hilst 
stirring well. Recommended for use by soldiers when bathing 
(Moor and Cooper, 1918, pp. 92-6). 
