The doctor at home and nurse's guidebook / edited by George Black.

Date:
1909
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The doctor at home and nurse's guidebook / edited by George Black. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    633/684 (page 581)
    the natural colour. To the touch they are sometimes firm. They are often evanescent, fading as quickly as they came and are often seen to disappear and reappear in other parts during the same attack. No alteration of the skin is seen after the wheals have disappeared. Urticaria is invariably attended with most annoying stinging and burning of the affected skin. The irritation is often almost intoler- able. Scratching and rubbing aggra- vate the symptoms. The duration of the acute form is from a few hours to a day or two and is greatly influenced by the removal of the exciting cause. Certain persons are much more prone to this affection than others and external irritants or internal derangements that pro- duce in some persons a slight local inflammation of the skin or a simple erythema, will in others give rise to nettle-rash. Among the external irritants which not infrequently cause it may be mentioned fleas, bed-bugs, mosquitoes and other in- sects, the jelly-fish, so common in certain seasons in the sea and the stinging-nettle, which last gives to the eruption its name. URTICARIA, CAUSES OF By far the greater number of cases arise from internal causes ; these are chiefly referable to dis- turbances of the digestive organs. Indigestion from over-eating highly seasoned dishes and excess in drink often cause an outbreak. Certain articles of food, many of which are in season in summer and are esteemed as delicacies, are especi- ally apt to produce this affection. Such are sea-food—crabs, lobsters, clams, oysters, fish ; some of the small fruits, as strawberries and raspberries ; pork and sausages and some other articles. These things are eaten with impunity by the vast majority of persons ; it is therefore evident that they produce nettle- rash in the minority by reason of some personal peculiarity. A sud- den checking of the perspiration has been, in a few cases that have come under observation, the only assign- able cause. Intense emotion has been also assigned as a cause. URTICARIA, DIET IN Urticaria, or nettle-rash, is one of the most difficult diseases in which to regulate the diet, for while most articles can be taken with impunity, some particular one, perhaps the least suspected, may be the cause of the trouble. The articles most commonly injurious are shell-fish, also stale fish, mushrooms, bananas, strawberries, raspberries and pine- apples ; but in obstinate cases other articles may be the cause. Be- cause in certain persons shell-fish may cause this eruption, it is a mistake to think that shell-fish are to be avoided in all skin diseases. On the contrary, they are very constantly ordered to be taken by doctors, who consider them bene- ficial in most diseases of the skin as a substitute for meat, of which we eat far too much. URTICARIA, TREATMENT OF It is obvious that successful treatment will depend upon a prompt recognition of the cause. As a rule this will be readily dis- covered. Inquiries into the nature of food recently taken should be instituted. It may be necessary to administer an emetic, especially if the attack be severe, or the suffer- ing great. A free movement of the bowels should be brought about as soon as possible and laxatives employed from time to time, during the attack, if protracted. For this