# Scabies **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 26, 2014, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scabies/691661 "2014-06-26T01:39:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sara20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@sara20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sara20)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scabies/691661/1 "2014-06-26T01:39:09Z")
First off I just want to clarify I do not have scabies, I am just curious about it. I have a couple questions about it. Does scabies go away on it own after the scabies bug dies inside of you? For example ringworm goes away on it’s own but it takes about a year. My second question is how was scabies treated in the olden days? I know people wrote about it in the middle ages. I know at some point they used mercury to kill it but what did they use before that? Iodine maybe? Would things like hot compresses kill it? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scabies/691661/2 "2014-06-26T03:22:58Z")
> [@sara20](#): > > First off I just want to clarify I do not have scabies, I am just curious about it. Thank goodness, I was about to run for the lindane shampoo. :eek: > [@](#): > > Does scabies go away on it own after the scabies bug dies inside of you? Unfortunately, while lots of mites die off, there tends to be a residual population that can maintain the infection indefinitely, while the host itches and is miserable (not to mention infecting close contacts). Worse, if the host is an infant/immunosuppressed/elderly and in poor health, the infestation can build to very high levels (so-called crusted or Norwegian\* scabies). \*the term “Norwegian” scabies seems to have fallen out of favor, probably due to outrage in the, um, host country. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scabies/691661/3 "2014-06-26T03:24:43Z")
> [@sara20](#): > > Does scabies go away on it own after the scabies bug dies inside of you? The rash and itching from scabies is actually an immune reaction against both the body of the scabies mite and from the mites feces. This reaction will happen whether the mite is dead or alive. Essentially, until the skin the mite and its feces are embedded in is shed through normal growth you’re at risk of itching and rash. That can take a couple weeks to clear up after the mites are all killed off. It’s not unusual for anti-itch creams to be prescribed for use after death-to-scabies cream. > [@](#): > > For example ringworm goes away on it’s own but it takes about a year. I suppose it _could_ go away on its own, but these days we don’t wait that long to treat it. Or, if someone is susceptible, it might never go away on its own. > [@](#): > > My second question is how was scabies treated in the olden days? From what I’ve been able to find out, usually sulfur compounds of some sort, which are still sometimes used these days. Or, if you’re talking about ineffective remedies, almost anything but I assumed you want to know what they used to use that actually worked on occasion. > [@](#): > > I know people wrote about it in the middle ages. I know at some point they used mercury to kill it but what did they use before that? Iodine maybe? Would things like hot compresses kill it? You need something that can kill insects without killing or making the patient too sick. I don’t know if iodine would work or not. Hot compresses, no - in fact, heat makes the damn things more active, causing an increase in irritation and itching. ---
**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scabies/691661/4 "2014-06-26T03:30:16Z")
I vaguely remember some flower being a traditional remedy for scabies (mums? chrysanthemums?) I’m too lazy to look. And no, I do not have scabies either. ---
**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scabies/691661/5 "2014-06-26T03:36:06Z")
Ah, here we go, [Pyrethrum](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrethrum): [QUOTE=wiki] Pyrethrum has been used for centuries as an insecticide,[1] and as a lice remedy in the Middle East (Persian powder, also known as “Persian pellitory”). It was sold worldwide under the brand Zacherlin by Austrian industrialist J. Zacherl.[2] The flowers should be dried and then crushed and mixed with water. Pyrethroids are synthetic insecticides based on natural pyrethrum (pyrethrins); one common example is permethrin. A common formulation of pyrethrin is in preparations containing the synthetic chemical piperonyl butoxide: this has the effect of enhancing the toxicity to insects and speeding the effects when compared with pyrethrins used alone. These formulations are known as synergized pyrethrins. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scabies/691661/6 "2014-06-26T19:25:41Z")
I had scabies once years ago. My wife is a nurse and managed to bring them home from work. I remember that we had wash all our clothing and bedding in hot water; spray some insecticide on places like couches; and sleep with a Vaseline-link cream smeared on our bodies and hair for a couple of nights. I don’t remember any need to scratch or itch afterward possibly due to my wife finding out about the problem patient quickly before a full infestation began. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2014, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scabies/691661/7 "2014-06-26T19:35:11Z")
> [@sara20](#): > > Iodine maybe? Iodine wasn’t isolated until 1811 and the first [antiseptic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lugol's_iodine) using it apparently came out in 1829. However, it wasn’t all that safe, especially if you wanted to get at stuff inside the skin. Tincture of Iodine came out in 1908. OTOH, Mercury was known to the ancients. So I doubt that there was much application of Iodine against scabies.