On dactylitis syphilitica, with observations on syphilitic lesions of the joints / by R.W. Taylor.

  • Taylor, Robert W. (Robert William), 1842-1908.
Date:
1871
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On dactylitis syphilitica, with observations on syphilitic lesions of the joints / by R.W. Taylor. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

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    observed on the dorsal surface. The former consist, for the most part, in a peculiar thickening of the epidermis, with a more or less copious exfoliation, which may or may not involve the nails ; whereas in the latter cases, which are less frequent, there is a thickening of the whole structure of the derma, with very little if any affection of the epidermis. The former lesion is known as palmar and plantar psoriasis, and the latter as a non-ulcerating tubercular syphilide, which generally un- dergoes resolution, but in this position, in rare instances, ulcerates. The mobility of the parts is, of course, very materially inter- fered with bv these forms of thickening, and, from their rebel- liousness to treatment, they are often very formidable affections. Clinical observation has proved that these conditions of the integument occur upon the fingers much more frequently than upon the toes. It is not intended, however, to enter fully into the considera- tion of these more superficial lesions, but to present the clinical history of a peculiar and rare manifestation of syphilis in the deeper structures of the fingers and toes. This affection con- sists in the deposit of the peculiar gummy material of tertiary syphilis in one or all of the deep tissues, and is characterized by peculiar deformities. Its literature is very scanty in details, and of quite recent origin. It has been called, by some observ- ers, syphilitic panaris, and by others, syphilitic dactylitis. The application of the word panaris, which is merely a corruption of the word paronychia, to the affection is neither appropriate nor expressive, as it applies to a simple acute inflammation of that portion only of the fingers upon which the nails are situa- ted ; whereas the lesion under consideration is a chronic specific inflammation generally involving more than one and frequently all the phalanges without any affection of the nails. The word dactylitis, from the Greek daurvXog, a digit or finger, fully ex- presses the condition : therefore its use will be retained here, as it applies with equal correctness to the fingers and the toes. The recorded cases of this rare lesion are only five in number, excluding those of Erlack, and the descriptions of it as given in the text-books are very meagre, as they are all based upon