I GREW up in the 1970s and some might say it was not a good time to grow up. The country was naïve in many things, but people were generous and kind-hearted.
There was a monopoly in the politics of the time and so too in business. We did as we were told by our parents, teachers and local politicians.
Everyone conformed and did the expected thing. There was only one political party called UNIP, one type of bread called Supaloaf and only one type of tooth paste called Colgate.
Therefore, bread was synonymous with Supaloaf and toothpaste to Colgate. The teachers rapped your head with their bare knuckles if you misbehaved and told you that your head looked like Supaloaf.
The teacher proudly confessed this physical and emotional abuse and parents whole-heartedly approved.
They in turn pulled your ears, for the teachers’ approval, of their parental skills.
Whereas Supaloaf was seen as a necessity, Colgate was a luxury.
Many people brushed their teeth with a partially chewed fresh tree branch called ‘Umuswaki’ instead of a toothbrush and used coarse salt instead of Colgate.
We were told that an animal called inflation brought in by the white former colonial masters, jealous of our independence, was eating our money.
So I imagined every evening this animal being released by the forces of the Southern Rhodesian leader Ian Smith from across the border, and scavenging the various banks and money stores around the country.
The country was poor, we scoured the countryside for wild fruits (Amasuku) and berries (Impundu) to keep the hunger at bay between meals.
In those hard times, families pooled together and the already extended families became more extended.
We lived with cousins, once or twice or even thrice removed.
The houses were crowded, families in those days were large, but with the increasing poverty which hit the rural areas more than the urban areas, they grew even larger still.
It was not uncommon to share a bed with a couple of brothers and a few cousins. It was also not uncommon to have itchy swellings in various places, including the backside.
They were called ‘Ichipute’ or when they were bigger ‘Chimumenapabi’. Literally that which grows in a bad place.
Perhaps some were caused by our habit of converting the steep side of a small mound called an anthill into a slide (Ichishelemuko).
So with a thin piece of cardboard you would slide on your back from the summit of the anthill down to the foot of the hill.
This wore out the back side of the khaki school shorts in a very short space of time, to the chagrin of many parents. Since underpants were also a luxury it also caused some bruising to the bottom.
You limp for a while, stopped the sliding and had your bed mates check out if it was ready for pressing.
If it was pressed too early it got worse. However, when it was ‘ripe’ it exploded a fountain of what we presumed to be white hatching maggots, mixed with blood.
We supposed then that one was rotting inside. Sometimes, if someone was hesitant, my mum would help to get the job done.
She was a firm ‘Ushi’ woman who was quick with her tongue and generous with discipline.
So we would physically restrain the person, while she squeezed the boil until it spat out its last drop, exhausted.
Perhaps it was just that our personal hygiene as boys growing up was poor and this was compounded by overcrowding.
In any case, in those days boils were common, as they still are today.
So I thought it worthwhile to discuss the subject of boils or ‘Ifipute’. In doing this, we will answer three questions, which are:
1. What is a boil or an abscess?
2. What causes boils?
3. What can I do if I have a boil?
1. What is a boil or an abscess?
To understand the boil, you must understand something about the skin.
The skin is the covering of the body, it contains five layers of cells, covered by a hard plate of dead protein called keratin.
This is necessary to protect the inner body from harmful elements in the environment, including the sun, rain, insects and thorns.
The work of the skin is supported by various structures interspersed, or one can say embedded within the skin.
These support the work of the skin, by keeping it moist, cool, stretchable and protected.
This protection includes protection from other animals and human beings. The nails being a case in point.
The glands in particular are structures in the skin that produce chemical substances that help to keep the skin from becoming excessively dry and cracking.
One example of these glands are the sebaceous glands.
These glands can get blocked with their rather thick secretions called sebum.
When this material which is rich in fatty chemicals gets invaded by the germs that lie on the skin surface, then a carbuncle or boil develops.
The sebaceous glands are found next to hair follicles and opens through the same opening or hair pits.
This infection can spread to a number of hair follicles creating a circular and angry looking swelling with a white epicenter and a surrounding hard red base.
The common sites are in fold areas of the body, where hair is plenty with lots of moisture and friction.
Typical of these are areas in which bruising can easily occur with Inoculation of the germs on the skin into these pockets of glands.
The fact that these areas are also very moist and humid, encourages an environment in which germs grow well and a boil can thrive.
Some of these sites are the nape of the neck or more simple, the hair line at the back. This is especially prone because of the bruising caused by cutting of hair to make a sharp hair cut line.
The Armpits are areas of movement and friction in which boils commonly form.
In addition, many women in particular, as well as men shave their armpits, causing some bruises which can lead to boils.
The face, particularly the beard area, is another common site, especially following shaving, with poorly sharpened blades.
In children, the prolonged sitting in class with wooden chairs and friction makes the backside a common culprit for boils.
The groin and pubic area are also prone from shaving, friction and movement. However boils may occur anywhere on the body.
2. What causes boils?
Nature has gifted the skin with both unusual functions as well as unusual organisms. This skin has several germs on its surface at any one time.
The role of these germs or bacteria on the skin appears to be one of breaking down waste materials excreted from the skin and protecting it from more harmful germs.
However, if the skin surface is bruised or has cracks, these bacteria can invade the skin and cause an infection.
The bacteria responsible for most boils are found on the skin surface and are called staphylococcus Aureus.
This bacteria when grown in the laboratory produces circular colonies with a golden yellow colour. Under the microscope they look like clusters of grapes.
This is how it got its name, which means literally grape clusters which are golden.
These germs are responsible for boils, they produce chemicals that destroy body tissues.
When this happens the body sends out an alarm signal, much like the Police siren and this attracts the body’s defence cells to the area to put down the invasion.
The defence cells interestingly, look white with a black centre, the nucleus, this is also one of the colours for uniformed police officers in many countries. Hence the name, White Cells, which is used to describe the defence cells of the body.
The liquefied mixture of dead body cells as well as the body’s defence cells (the white cells) that are attracted to the area to fight the infection, creates what is seen as a creamy discharge called pus.
This liquid material increases as the infection is suppressed by the body.
The body folds such as the arm pits groin and so on, which are rich in moisture and have potential for bruising both with movement and shaving.
These are an ideal breeding ground for the staph aureus germ.
They are also the site which tends to have a higher load of bacteria and are at an increased risk of bruising.
So they will naturally be areas where the staph aureus will invade.
These areas also have an abundance of glands rich in fats which the bacteria will feed on to grow and invade the skin more deeply.
It is noticeable even in black skin that at first, the area looks red and flat.
This is the first stage of invasion as the bacteria spreads under the skin.
Eventually the area becomes rounded as the White Cells (The Defence Cells) contain the invaders destroying some of the bacteria and creating a soft liquefied centre.
This will eventually extend from the centre to cover the whole reddened areas.
People who have weak skins due to diseases of the skin, are prone to boils.
In addition those who have Sugar Disease (Diabetes Mellitus) are prone to repeated development of boils because they provide environments rich in sugar where the bacteria can grow.
People who have weakened defence cells due to low immunity will be at a greater risk of developing boils.
If our nutrition is not good and our personal hygiene is poor, this also increases the risk of getting boils.
3. What can I do if I have a boil?
Many people can recognise a boil when they have it. They also will have the uncontrollable urge to squeeze it immediately.
However this is a big mistake, because it both spreads the infection and worsens the pain.
Resist the urge to press or squeeze the boil prematurely, wait for it to soften completely on its own.
It will be ready for squeezing when the red part is smaller than the white part.
Or put simpler, when it has become rounder and softer in most of its centre.
This is also the time that it becomes less painful. Many people are tempted to squeezing when it is at its most painful and throbbing stage.
You can help to speed up the process of softening the boil by applying warm or cold compression on the surface of the boil.
You call also speed it up by applying a small Elastoplast strip over the site of the boil, give it a few days and you will find that it has soften when you remove the small bandage.
Many home remedies are applied to boils including eggs, green tea, garlic and honey, which are all intended to speed up the ripening of the boil.
What is most important is to keep the area clean and wash your hands regularly. If you do not, you will contaminate the rest of the skin with the bacteria and end up with several boils.
Use pain killers such as Paracetamol, Diclofenac or Brufen to control the pain.
The boil will eventually liquefy or ripen within five to 10 days. If you have topical antibiotic or iodine, you can apply this on the skin initially daily when it is red and this will help to localise the infection and prevent it from spreading to the adjoining skin.
When the boil is ready for pressing, make sure you have plenty of cleaning material to remove the pus and avoid spreading  to the surrounding skin.
Keep cleaning it every day after pressing until it is dry.
When should you go to your local clinic? Go to the local clinic for any boil in an unusual place which you cannot see or reach easily.
An example is a boil in the ear or around the eye, or around the fingers.
You should go to the local clinic for a boil that does not resolve in 10 days or if you have fever or many boils.
Boils can be prevented by good hygiene, the use of clean and sharp blades when shaving.
If you are prone to boils after shaving, try to use hair remover instead.
Always apply disinfectant to your skin after shaving and this will reduce the risk of getting boils.
Try to use disinfectant in your bath and antibacterial soaps, this will keep your skin clean and reduce  germs on your skin.
Avoid caustic or corrosive chemicals on your skin, which can weaken and make it prone to infection.
If you have repeated attacks of boils, have a test done for sugar diseases.
Eat healthy, keep clean and change your underpants daily and you will reduce the risk of boils.