A visit was paid to a certain infantry brigade which had recently left the firing line after three months of trench warfare. The men were old campaigners and had been in occupation of barns of a rest area for three days with straw as bedding. 85 men were examined and yielded the following results:-

Cases infected with 0-10 lice.......67%
Cases infected with 10-50 lice.....10.5%
Cases infected with 50-100 lice....15.3%
Cases infected with over 100 lice..7.0%
Cases infected with "crab"............4.7%
Cases showing marked pediculosis..7.0%
Cases of acabion.........................2.3%

That is over 20% (or at the rate of 200 men per battalion of 1000) were infected with over 50 lice while nealry 5% had the more repugnant infection of "crabs".

This typical case throws light upon the question as to how far infestation is attributable to the straw of barn billets. The complaint is heard that the straw had acted as the primary source of infestation yet the verminous condition of the men was clealry one of long standing and was increasing steadily by the hatching of young from eggs layed on both the inner and outer clothing. As regiments leaving the fighting area are already seriously infected it is wrong to attribute this condition to straw recently vacated by other units.

With regard to the infestation of troops new to the front, as far as information exists, this condition is due to the cumulative effect of the following:

1. Unclean men already present.
2. The close mingling with old campaigners during initiatory training up the line.
3. Discarded lousy clothing found in barns and other billots and the straw of such places recently vacated by older campaigners.
4. Neglect through force of military circumstances or ignorance of the presence of the insects, of the preventative measures for maintaining cleanliness of body and clothing.