Abstract
IN the British Medical Journal of November 2, Prof. P. A. Buxton contributes an article on this subject. The crowded sleeping conditions that prevail in some of the air-raid shelters render it likely that outbreaks of body and head lice will occur. In peacetime, at any rate, the body louse is much the rarer of the two races, but it is likely to become more prevalent. At the present time no really effective practical repellent is known. The control measures advised concern the head and body and the disinfestation of clothes, blankets, etc. The best methods for effecting these processes are discussed in some detail. For control on the person the speediest method for eliminating the head louse is the use of one or other of the insecticidal liquids advised. Disinfestation of garments, etc., is best done by the application of heat: 5 minutes at 129° F. or 45 minutes at 121° F. are fatal both to the lice and to their eggs or nests. It is not important whether the heattbe dry or moist; but it is essential that the whole of the infested materials should be submitted to the temperature mentioned. Disinfestation of clothes properly done with a domestic hot iron is quite effective. The organization and proper lay-out of disinfesting stations does not lend itself to explanation in a short article, and the reader is referred to the “Army Manual of Hygiene” for information on this aspect of the problem.
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Control of Lice. Nature 147, 85 (1941). https://doi.org/10.1038/147085a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/147085a0