Classification, correct dietary, and treatment of diseases of the skin : as practised at the Belfast Hospital for the Skin / by Henry S. Purdon.

  • Purdon, Henry Samuel.
Date:
1889
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Classification, correct dietary, and treatment of diseases of the skin : as practised at the Belfast Hospital for the Skin / by Henry S. Purdon. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    10/50 (page 6)
    brany scales, often covering entire body, general health below par, or gouty or rheu- matic diathesis the cause. Urticaria, \ Symptomatica. [Nettle rash],1 Chronica. Cause.—In the symptomatic, acute, or febrile forms gastric irritation is the exciting cause of urticaria. The chronic form due to derangement of stomach, uterus, or liver. Sometimes malaria is at the root of the complaint. According to Dr. Maclagan the chronic forms are due to deficiency of the urea and uric acid in the urine, or what chemists call a want of the products of trans- formation of tissue, and their retention in the system. All forms usually worse after meals, certain kinds of food, shell-fi-ih, almonds, &c, also drugs, as copaiba, give rise to nettle rash. In all forms of urticaria we have more or less muscular spasm of the skin, occasioned by irritation of the deeper filaments of the cutaneous nerves, which condition probably tends to cause the for- mation of wheals, these elevations being due to a circumscribed oedema of a cluster of capillary loops springing from a common stem, and under the influence of a common nervous twig. , /Simplex—Facialis, on face Herpes, [Creeping Tetter], ' and lips. Genitalium on genital regions. Zoster—Shingles. Cause.—A chill or irritation of adjoining mucus membranes. Herpes of the lips often seen in pneumonia. Cause of herpes zoster is a neuritis generally due to exposure to cold or easterly winds, accompanied and followed by neuralgic pains. These pains arise from implication of the sensory nerve fibres. Indeed, the eruption of herpes may attend neuralgia of any superficial nerve. Accord- ing to Barensprung herpes zoster is a primary affection of the spinal ganglia, the posterior roots being those implicated. Herpes zoster facei exhibits itself by numerous clusters of vesicles on the cheek and side of nose— moreover there is usually accompanying it, conjunctivitis, sometimes ulcer of cornea iritis, fixed pupil, and diplopia. The in- volvement of the structure of the eye is supposed to depend on inflammation of the ciliary nerves proceeding from nasal nerve. Pemphigus, [Water blebs,, also Bladdery fever], ,, f Beninnus. Vulgaris, {mJnus, FOLIACEOUS. TREATMENT. In the acute forms of urticaria, when patient is first seen, feverish and face swollen, an emetic usually ejects the offend- ing matter from stomach, and cuts attack short—afterwards plain simple diet. Saline aperients with colchicum generally completes the cure. Warm baths or wetting the skin usually makes the itching worse. So does railway travelling in chronic cases. To allay the itching the pomade of iodoform may be smeared, as occasion may require, over affected parts. In chronic cases, or when disease may be due to malarial poison- ing, large doses of quinine, 8 to io grains, give best results—we may attribute a malarial origin to ca«es of urticaria that are periodic in their nature. Herpes simplex about face requires little or no treatment. For herpes genitalium, astringents, or lotion of sulphate of zinc, or nitrate of silver, may be required. In re- current cases circumcision is the best plan. Herpes zoster is a much more troublesome and painful complaint. Only one side of body is usually attacked. When double, and occurring on both sides of thorax, it was formerly considered fatal. Internally, ergot of rye is useful to restore tone of vessels, also quinine, whilst to relieve the neuralgic pains, a hypodermic injection of morphia gives quick relief. Before the vesicles appear paint the reddish parts with ethereal tinc- ture of tannin, and allow scabs to form and fall off naturally. A chamois-leather vest should be worn next the skin—of course regulation of bowels must be attended to. Cause.—Debility approaching to cachexia. In an exhausting disease like pemphigus tonics are required from the first, and a supporting plan of treatment all through necessary. Arsenic, with or without iron, generally necessary in relapsing variety. Locally, each bulla to be punctured, but do