Too Many Baths

Everyone itches at one time or another, and almost everyone scratches. But scratching is seldom if ever the best cure for itches, and itches are sometimes not the reason for scratching.

Last week in Chicago at the ninth annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology and Syphilology, Philadelphia Psychiatrist O. Spurgeon English offered suggestions on curing certain kinds of itch. Go behind the itch, he said in effect, to see what's wrong: when a teenager itches, treat the parents as well; when a husband itches, treat the wife. "A great deal of human security and peace of mind is derived through the skin," said Dr. English. "When this sense of well-being is not maintained, the deprivation can often be felt in the skin."

Indianapolis' Dr. Philip Durham Seitz suggested that many a chronic scratcher could be cured by kindness and an attentive ear. To his associates, said Seitz, the scratcher often appears as a "cold fish," whereas in reality he is deeply sensitive to slights. When hurt, his only recourse to relieve his anger and gratify his longing for love is by applying the fingernails.

Dr. Clyde Cummer of Cleveland had an even simpler explanation for skin trouble. Many Americans, he said, take too many baths.

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