The modern practice of physic : exhibiting the characters, causes, symptoms, prognostics, morbid appearances, and improved method of treating the diseases of all climates / by Robert Thomas, M.D., of Salisbury.

  • Thomas, Robert, 1753-1835.
Date:
1813
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The modern practice of physic : exhibiting the characters, causes, symptoms, prognostics, morbid appearances, and improved method of treating the diseases of all climates / by Robert Thomas, M.D., of Salisbury. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

    660/728 (page 640)
    benefited by eruptions on the skin. In such, peculiar care is therefore ne- cessary to guard against their being repelled, as well as to invite their return. Another species of eruption which is frequently to be met vyith in young children is that to which medical writers have given the name of crusta lactea, or lactumen. This often puts on a very unpleasant ap- pearance, but is nevertheless of an innocent natui'e, and it has been ob- served that those children who have been much loaded with it, have usu- ally been healthy, and have cut their teeth easily. A remarkable circum- stance attending this eruption is, that, however thick and long-continued the scabs may be, the crusta lactea never excoriates, nor leaves any scar on the parts. The crusta lactea appears first on the forehead, and sometimes on the scalp ; and then often extends halfway over the face in the form of large loose scabs, which, as the disorder increases, appear not very unlike the small-pox pustules after they have become dry. It begins with white vesicles larger than the itch, which soon become of a dark colour and then scab, with an efHux of ichor and great itching of the parts affected. The rash generally disappears of itself when the child has cut three or four teeth, though it may sometimes continue for several months, and in a few instances even for years. In such cases, testaceous powders, cal- omel, and other alteratives, have usually been administered, but in ge- neral without success. The Han-owgate or other sulphureous waters might probably have a good effect. In very bad cases, a blister might prove serviceable. During early dentition a rash very much resembling the measles is apt to make its appearance, and this usually continues very florid for three or four days, but it does not dry off in the manner of that disease. It is often preceded by nausea and vomiting, but is attended with little or no fever. During the continuance of the eruption, a few doses of the tes- taceous powders, with the addition of a little nitre, will be the most proper medicines ; and when it disappears, some gentle laxative may be advisable. Other rashes in which the spots are larger and often attended with some degree of fever (occasioned probably by the irritation of teething) are frequently to be observed during a more advanced stage of dentition, particularly while the double and eye teeth are t:utting. These require ■only a proper attention to be paid to the state of the bowels, tmless the fever is considerable ; in which case we should pursue the steps recom- mended under the head of Dentition. A slight species of essera or nettle-rash is another eruptive disease to which infants are liable ; but this requires in general little attention, and often disappears in a few hours. When the body is much covered with eruptions, and they remain long out, attention should be paid to their not being repelled suddenly by any exposure to cold, or by any other impi'o- per ti'eatment ; but should they happen to strike irt, we may then have i-ecourse to the tepid bath and light cordials, in order to solicit their re- turn to the surface of the body, which will be of the greatest consequence should the child suffer much from the repulsion.