| LOUISA COUNTY, IOWA |  |
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| LOUISA COUNTY, IOWA | |
The Republican Centennial Edition, Wapello, Louisa County, Iowa
Thursday, July 12, 1956, Section Three, Page 34
Transcribed by Shirley Plumb, June 30, 2019POISON IVY IS PICNICKER’S KILL-JOY If you’re one of those picnic-lovers (and who isn’t?) it might be well for you to be forewarned about the No. 1 Picnic Kill-Joy Poison Ivy.
As far as we know, there is only one way to prevent a bout with poison ivy . . . and that is to AVOID the plants. Many picnics have been spoiled and vacations ruined for the susceptible person who comes in contact with poison ivy or its cousins . . . the tree-like poison sumac and the bushy poison oak.
Leaves of both the ivy and the oak come in threes, about three inches long . . . green in summer, and in fall and shiny from their oil. Poison sumac grows in damp or moist ground, often in swamps.
Anyone who has had a session with the red, itching blisters of poison ivy knows how uncomfortable it can be. Scratching and breaking the blisters is dangerous as a secondary skin infections may develop. Boils may sometimes follow severe attacks. If the attack is severe, a physician should be consulted.
The real troublemaker is the sap or oil which oozes out of the injured plant, when it comes in contact with the skin it cause intense irritation resembling a burn. If a person gets into poison ivy, the first thing to do is to wash the spots that have come in contact with the ivy, using plenty of soap and hot water or, if water is not available, sponge them with alcohol or gasoline. It is important that the oil be removed.
A shower is more satisfactory than a tub bath because the poison floats on the surface of the water and may leave infected material at water level. A solution of one tablespoonful of baking soda dissolved in a pint of hot water recommended to help reduce itching.
Tools and clothing which may have come in contact with the ivy should be cleaned because ivy poisoning is possible by touching these things that have picked up the oil.