The Itch—“psora” and “scabies,” of medical authors; the “gale” of the French,—already
referred to, in its common forms is an eruption of minute vesicles, generally containing
animalcula (acari), and of which the principal seats are between the fingers, bend
of the wrist, etc. It is, accompanied by intense itching of the parts affected,
which is only aggravated by scratching. The usual treatment is with sulphur ointment
(simple or compound) well rubbed in once or twice a day; a spoonful (more or less)
of flowers of sulphur, mixed with treacle or milk, being taken at the same time,
night and morning. Where the external use of sulphur is objectionable, on account
of its smell, a sulphuretten bath or lotion, or one of chloride of lime, may be
used instead. In all cases extreme cleanliness, with the free use of soap and water,
must be strictly adhered to.
The small, soft discolorations and excrescences of the skin, popularly called moles,
may be removed by touching them every second or third day with strong acetic or
nitric acid, or with lunar caustic. If covered with hair they should be shaved first.
Extreme paleness of the skin, when not symptomatic of any primary disease,
generally arises from debility, or from the languid circulation of the blood at
the surface of the body; often, also, from insufficient or improper food, want of
outdoor exercise, and the like. The main treatment is evident. Warm baths, friction,
and stimulating lotions and cosmetics may be here employed, together with a course
of some mild chalbeate (as the lactate, protophosphate, or ammonia-citrate of iron)
and hypophosphate of soda.
Roughness and Coarseness of the skin, when not depending on any particular
disease, may be removed or greatly lessened by daily friction with mild unguents
or oil, or by moistening the parts, night and morning, with a weak solution of bichloride
of mercury containing a little glycerine.
Rashes and redness of the skin, of a common
character, often arise from very trifling causes, among which indigestion, suppressed
perspiration, irritation, and the like, are the most frequent. Nettle rash or urticaria,
so called from the appearance and tingling sensations resembling those caused by
the sting of nettles, in some people, is very apt to follow the use of indigestible
and unwholesome food. It is usually of short duration and recurrent. The treatment
consists in the administration of mild saline aperients, and, in severe cases, of
an emetic, particularly when the stomach is still loaded with indigestible matter.
These should be followed by copious use of lemonade made from the fresh expressed
juice. The patient should be lightly but warmly clothed during the attack, and exposure
to the cold, or to draughts of cold air, should be carefully avoided. The further
treatment may be similar to that noticed under “eruptions.” To prevent the recurrence
of the attack, the objectionable articles of food, and any other known exciting
causes, must be avoided. Red rash, red blotch, or fiery spot, a common consequence
of disordered health, a sudden fit of dyspepsia, and, in females, of tight lacing,
and rose rash, false measles, or roseola, having commonly a similar origin to the
preceding, for the most part require the same treatment.
Scurf—“furfur or furfura”—is a formation depending on the natural and healthy
exfoliation of the skin on every part of the body on which hair or down grows, but
most extensive and observable on the scalp, on account of the abundance and darker
color of the hair there. Scurfiness, or excessive scurfiness, is the result of morbid
action, and may be treated by the frequent use of the fleshbrush or hairbrush, ablution
with soap and water, and the use of mild stimulating, astringent, or detergent lotions.
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