Judith Kathol, age 10, of Sioux City Iowa

 What causes warts?

Our parents and grandparents had warts when they were boys and girls  This has been so for countless generations, for the tufty little bumps of skin seam to be especially fond of children  In the old days, the only known cure was a double whammie  That is to say, people tried to charm their warts away with a vary strong wish and perhaps a  few angry words# Sometimes the warts went away after this wishful thinking, but usually they took their own sweet time to disappear and went only when they were good and ready,

Nowadays of course, we do not waste time and strong words by trying to charm away these pesky visitors, Our doctors know a few tricks for getting rid of warts in a hurry  Otherwise, if left alone without irritation, the tough little bumps will finally wither away and drop off the skin without leaving a sign  Though warts can and usually should be treated by a doctor, medical science is not altogether certain about how they are caused,

It is moat likely there are several causes for warts  Some seem to appear merely when a bruise is rubbed bumped or irritated in some way, Others seem to be caused by virus infections and still others by bacteria infections, In any case, they always appear in some spot where the skin or flesh has been wounded in some way  They may follow a bruises a scratch or small nick in the skin  We may not notice this course of events for the small wound may be all healed up before the tufty wart appears 

One other factor may play a part in the birth of a wart  Many warts are caused by infections  and the best defense against these small viruses and bacteria is chemical warfare 

In this area, Andy has what he thinks is a logical suggestion  Most warts appear on the hands, and the hands of a busy young person are always in and out of a lot of dirty projects which is right and proper Virus and bacteria, however, tend to thrive in soil and grime and let’s face it, dust plain dirt all the things that make our projects so fascinating, The chemical warfare you can use to fight these infections is a real old timer and was readily available in Grandpa's day  All you need is a cake of soap, plenty of warm water and a rough towel  A thorough hand scrubbing after every dirty fob tends to remove wart causing germs before they can set up housekeeping in the skin 

 Another precaution is first aid for all cuts, scratches and bruises, no matter how small they are, You can now buy iodine which does not sting and the newest bandages are skin‑  clear stick ons that are waterproof and invisible  If a wart appears, it too should be treated and bandaged, However, if there are lots of them or if one becomes inflamed or refuses to wither away in a week or two, you should take the problem to a doctor