Medicine: Itchy?

One reason why Napoleon kept his hand inside his coat so much may have been because he was scratching himself. He suffered from Sarcoptes scabiei, the barely visible mite which causes scabies—commonly known as the itch.

The crablike animalcule is most at home burrowing under the skins of people who do not wash much. But it moves easily to those who do wash, if they come too close.

During the war, the itch spread throughout the Continent and erupted into an annoying problem for many British schools. UNRRA has reported that the epidemic has now become worldwide. Druggists in Washington, D.C. have noticed...

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