pediculosis or phthiriasis. As applied to his conduct or performance
and as used in a strip 150 miles wide extending about from Kansas City
to Denver, the word is pediculous, used as an adjective, i.e. he is
pediculous. Everywhere else he is described as lousy. ee

The Pediculus copitis or head louse is more numerous here now than
they (or it) has been for many years. Few, if any schools in the
county are free of head lice.

An old time classification of insects was made by considering their
wings, thus: ortho-, nevro-, lepido-, coleo-, followed by ptera
described grasshoppers, beetles or what have you, In this scheme
lice and bed bugs would be described as hemiptera i.e, having half
wings or none at all.

Mr. Head Louse is not so large as “rs. Head Louse--he being about one
and a half millimeters long and she about two,--say 3/50 and 4/50 in-
ches respectively. Since the actual size will be proportional to the
cube of a dimension, his size will be to her size as 27 is to 64. So
far as I know, they have no established plan for getting rid of un-
needed males as the bees do. The female lays about 5 dozen eggs which
stick to the hairs and are called nits. They hatch in about a week--
maybe a little less. If numerous and neglected, they may cause an
eczematous or pustuler inflammation of the skin, especially about the
border of the hair at the back of the neck. If neglected long enough
the hairs may become stuck and entangled in the exudate thus Sorming

a smelly mass of scabs with reenforcing hairs called plica potonica
because it was common among the Jews in Poland.

 

We are not now seeing enough body lice or pubic lice to warrant any
discussion of them.

How do you manage head lice infestations? There are many satisfactory
ways, but they all require some interest, time, and attention. Cutt-
ing away most or all the hair is a great help. Rubbing the scalp
with kerosene or turpentine daily or every other day for a week or so
will finish the clean up. Burn or otherwise sterilize the combs,
brushes, and clothing that have been in contact. Some people are
sensitive to these oils and would blister. If the treatment causes
seriously unpleasant stinging, neutralize the oil with some bland
grease like lard or cooking oil and clean it all out with soap and

hot water,

. = 2 s+

ms

Several people’ have asked for a custom built article on colds. it- is
the intention to have such a discussion in the March number of KNOW.

For a long time, we have been beyond believing that mere cold causes
a cold. It is interesting to know that colds are extremely rare in
the cold regions of the north. However, there is probably some sort
of more or less constant and causative relation between cold and colds.

Folk lore medicines says “Feed a cold". Think about this and review
your observations and experiences with colds. This will make you a
more intelligent reader for the March KNOW.

H..Le Chambers, M. De