SIMPLE TREATMENT IS CURE FOR RINGWORM

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 July 1947, Page 10

SIMPLE TREATMENT IS CURE FOR RINGWORM

There is‘a type of ringworm that has spread generally to most countries,' says a bulletin issued by the Department of Health. It used to be regarded as a tropical trouble. A washerman or dhobie was supposed to infect clothes, hence the name “dhobie itch”. This particular ringworm fungus prefers males. It makes a flatfish brown patch, ringlike in shape, reddish at. the margin, on the skin of the groin. It may be on one inner side of the upper part of the thigh. Usually there is a patch on both sides running into the groin and probably meeting behind. There is a sharp edge and a little scaliness at the red circular spreading margin. Very often a person who has this ringworm, also has another one between the toes, especially between the little and fourth toe. The groin ringworm can be very itchy. It may flare up and be very active in a spell of excessively hot weather, or after some heavy exorcise. Fortunately the diagnosis is not difficult. Luckily, too, the treatment is simple enough. A number of new remedies have been tried out during the war, for ringworm conditions were very common in the armed forces. None of these is in general civilian use yet. There are, however, s,om’e remedies that have stood the test of time. One is a paint, Castellani’s paint, but as this stains, you have to be careful in its use. Another remedy is simple weak tincture of .iodine, painted on twice daily. Do not. use the strong tincture or iodine paint. However, some folk are allergic to iodine, and get a skin rash on using it. Probably the safest treatment for home use is Whitfield’s ointment. Most patches will clear up quickly after the daily use of this ointment. As the fungus spores may be in the deeper skin layers or in hair follicles, and gradually work to the surface, you may get a reinfection some weeks later. So keep *' treatment going for some time after an apparent cure. Underclothes should be boiled to kill any fungus spores.

Brunner Plunket Work At a mooting of the Brunner subbranch of tbe Plunket Society, it was decided to make a donation to the Greymouth branch and to Karitane, Dunedin. Several of the members will attend the conference to be held in Greymouth next' month,