ITCH

A disease of the skin, consisting in an eruption of minute itching vesicles, which are commonly rendered more inflamed and troublesome by scratching. They generally make their first appearance between the fingers, or about the bend of the wrist, and often spread to other parts of the body, especially where cleanline is neglected. The itch is highly contagious, and is supposed to depend upon a minute insect burrowing in the skin; some have regarded the insect as a consequence, and not the cause, of the disease. [s. 633]