Arthropods and Human Skin

Book excerpt: To the entomologist all insects have six legs; the layman tends to use the term "insect" to include the eight-legged spiders and mites. All these creatures are correctly classified as arthropods. Many thousands of the hundreds of thousands of recognised species of arthropods are found in the human environment-domestic, occupational and rec reational. Those species which are obligate parasites of man, the human scabies mite and the head and body lice, produce familiar clinical syndromes. They remain important in medical practice and have been the subject of a great deal of recent research. This is beginning to throw much light on the immunological mechanisms which largely determine the reactions of the host. Dr. Alexander has provided a detailed survey of this work. The wasps, bees, ants and other Hymenoptera which may sting man in self-defence can cause painful, even fatal reactions. The recent work on this important subject has also been thoroughly reviewed. Every dermatologist of experience will admit that he sees many patients in whom he makes a diagnosis of "insect bites", if he has the confidence to do so, or of "papular urticaria" or "prurigo" when he lacks such confidence, mainly because he is at a loss to know which arthropod is likely to be implicated. In his survey of the enormous literature in the entomological, public health and dermatology journals Dr. Alexander has provided an invaluable guide in which the solutions to these clinical mysteries can be sought.