OCR Text |
Show HARVEST DISEASE DUE Although of brief duration, the harvest har-vest disease, as it Is commonly known, is one 'of the most annoying" and troublesome complaints of the. summer sum-mer season. It is of frequent occurrence, occur-rence, seldom recognized, and widely disseminated. The disease is generally gener-ally ascribed to errors of diet, over-exertlo'n over-exertlo'n or poisoning, and but few of the afflicted are aware that the cause of their suffering Is a minute six-legged insect. The "Jigger," "chigger," or harvest mite, which occasions this vexatious summer eruption belongs to Jie mito family This in itself is sufficient to cause some doubt in the minds of the enlightened, inasmuch as several other memhers of the family haAe gained tame through misbehavior The itch mite is a notorious example It has been with us since history began and still afflicts tho human race The straw mite, only recently discovered, is also acquiring somewhat of a reputation repu-tation The adult jigger is harmless It apparently loves the freedom of the woods and open fields, attaching itself it-self to leaves and grasses and utterly ignoring all human intruders The young aro hatched in July and August and appear from the eggs as minute orange-red larvae. For some Inexplicable Inex-plicable reason they show a considerable consider-able predilection for human society, willingly forsaking their natural habitat habi-tat for the uncertainties of life with man. When lodged upon the skin they immediately select a favorable site and rapidly begin to penetrate the outer layers by burrowing The trouble begins at this stage The irritation, ir-ritation, at first mild, becomes Intense as the burrowing proceeds and is accompanied ac-companied by redness, swelling and inflammation Frequently the eruption erup-tion resembles that of hives or even eczema andthe Itching is so severe that lesions due to violent scratching may ensue. The irritation may bo confined to particular portions of the body or become widespread. Depending Depend-ing upon, the number of larvae entrenching en-trenching themselves, the suffering may be acute, preventing sleep and even leading to other disturbances, while at the best the degree of un-comfortableness un-comfortableness is such as to demand remedial measures. Just why the larvae exhibit burrowing proclivities in this manner is unknown, their action ac-tion is apparently without r ason as they invariably perish within a few days after commencing their nefarious nefar-ious attack. Their demise is most welcome to the sufferer. As with other parasitic diseases, the susceptibility suscepti-bility of fhdhiduals varies considerably, consider-ably, some persons not suffering oven when thoroughly exposed. Early treatment of jigger reach or trombidiosis, as it Is known, ij? essential. essen-tial. If the condition is recognized at its onset the sufferer can almost invariably in-variably point with exactness vto the? burrowing sites and "frequently the disappearing extremities of the in- truders may be observed. A needle, JH sterilized by boiling, may bo used to HH pluck the Invaders froth their demal IH lntrenchments, and even If the search jH , proves unsuccessful, the counter-irri- H tation produced by the 'instrument is IH pleasurable, and affords great enjoy- IH m'ent to the afflicted. If the swelling IH or oedema of the skin is considerable, IH or If the lesions are not recent, search jH will prove futile as the larvae are al- H ready safely buried. One can then H only hope for an early termination H of their activities, this usually re- jH ' quiring from five to seven days. Sev. H I eral extremely useful preparations are lH kill the mites but to reduce the irrl H tation and relieve the itching. Bath" IH ing directly after exposure Is advis-l IH able in order to drown the parasites. lH The, best treatment is. however, the -JH avoidance of the haunts of the tor- IH mentors. H |