Football impetigo : an enquiry into contagious affection of the skin occurring amongst football players a paper read before the Association on 10th December, 1895 / by H.G. Armstrong.

  • Armstrong, H. G. (Henry George)
Date:
1896
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Football impetigo : an enquiry into contagious affection of the skin occurring amongst football players a paper read before the Association on 10th December, 1895 / by H.G. Armstrong. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    In December of last year, I brought under the notice of the Association the prevalence of a peculiar skin eruption amongst football players, which, I understood, had been observed also in other schools besides that with which I am connected. I suggested that it was a subject into which we might with profit inquire. To this the Council of the Association agreed, and I was directed by them to issue a circular to members, with a view to ascertain the extent of the prevalence of the disorder; also to make inquiry into its aetiology and treatment, both prophylactic and curative, and to prepare a report for the Association. For this purpose a sum of money was granted from the funds. The circular met with a gratifying response, information being received from thirty-seven schools. From this it appeared that at those schools where the Association game is played, with two exceptions, the disease is unknown, and that of the fourteen schools at which the game is played under Rugby Union rules, it is unknown at four, while at the other ten it is of frequent occurrence. In these ten were included all the larger schools at which the Rugby game is played. From the four exempts I got no information which adequately accounted for their exemption, though I made special inquiry in each case. In dealing with these reports, I do not propose to refer to them individually, which would probably be unnecessary and undesirable, but in recording my thanks to the members, I must refer specially to Dr. Horace Savory, of Haileybury, who not only sent me a most valuable report on his experience, but furnished me with an excellent photograph of a typical case, an enlargement from which is here reproduced,