TREATMENT OF OXYURIS INFECTION.

To the Editor of ThG Indian Medical Gazette.

Sir,?Will you or any of your readers kindly let me know through the medium of the Gazette of any effective and convenient method of completely eradicating thread- worms (Oxyuris vermicukiris) infection in children as well as in adults? Repeated administration of santonin or oil of chenopodium, followed by saline purgatives has not done much good in my cases, except for slight alle- viation of the symptoms for a few days only. Treatment with rectal injections of the bitter infusions such as quassia, calumba, etc., is troublesome and even out of the question in children who do not tolerate them at all for a number of days. As for adults, many of them are quite averse to this form of treatment: of the few of my cases who submitted themselves to this treatment almost all returned after a few months in no way the better than before undergoing treatment.

In this connection I should also like to know whether these worms multiply in the intestines of the human body or whether they have any extra-corporeal stage in the process of their multiplication.?Yours, etc.,

P. A. NARAYANA IYER, Sub-Assistant Surgeon.

Irukkuh, 23rd August, 1923.

Note.?Oxyuris is not known to multiply in the body. Re-infection takes place by scratching round the anus and buttocks, owing to the irritation caused by ripe females crawling on these parts. The females are killed by the scratching, but their eggs are conveyed to the patient's mouth by the fingers. Therefore, before beginning drug treatment, for some nights the skin around the anus and buttocks should be plastered with some strong smelling ointment such as ichthyol ointment. The best drug for treatment is pure carbon tetrachloride. The dose for an adult is m.LXX given in two successive days and accompanied by a purge of magnesium sulphate. Treat- ment should be repeated a week later, the ointment being used freely in the interim. The real difficulty in eradi- cation is the constant self re-infection. If this be kept in mind cure should be easy.?Ed., I.M.G.