Lice and rheumatism amongst soldiers / Lauder Brunton.

  • Brunton, T. Lauder (Thomas Lauder), 1844-1916
Date:
1915
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Licence: In copyright

Credit: Lice and rheumatism amongst soldiers / Lauder Brunton. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Reprinted from The Lancet, February 6, 1915. LICE AND RHEUMATISM AMONGST SOLDIERS. To the Editor of The Lancet. Sir,—The discomfort and pain caused by vermin and rheumatism to our soldiers are so great that every effort should be made to destroy these pests and relieve rheumatism. In the first edition of my Pharmacology,” published in 1885, I mentioned (p. 1105) five remedies for pediculi—viz., baking clothes to destroythe ova, mercury,anise,pyrethrum, and stavesacre. In the third edition, published in 1893, I added to this list chloroform, cocculus indicus, dalmatian flowers, essential oils, laurel leaves, petroleum, and quassia. The conditions of life on active service make it almost impossible to employ any parasiticide excepting in the form of an ointment. In the Morning Post of Jan. 14th there is a recommendation to employ mercurial ointment smeared upon one thick woollen string worn round the neck and another round the waist. This is a very simple method and seems worthy of a trial. In hospital practice the white precipitate ointment of the strength of 1 in 10 for the body and 1 in 5 for the pubis or else stavesacre ointment are more usually employed. Cantani, in his “ Farmacologia Clinica, second edition, vol. ii., p. 212, recommends pyrethrum ointment as most efficacious against both forms of lice. It is made by mixing one part of pyrethrum with two of lard. Many essential oils, such as eucalyptus, seem to have a similar beneficial action to anise or pyrethrum. Anise is particularly useful in keeping away fleas, and an easy way of employing it is to carry about on one’s person a small muslin bag filled with anise seeds. In some cases, at least, of rheumatism sulphur is an exceedingly useful anti-rheumatic. Many years ago, with the conceit born of ignorance, I considered the statement that powdered sulphur