Diseases of the skin : their description, pathology, diagnosis, and treatment / by H. Radcliffe Crocker.

  • Henry Radcliffe Crocker
Date:
1888
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Diseases of the skin : their description, pathology, diagnosis, and treatment / by H. Radcliffe Crocker. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    698/786 (page 662)
    cations should not be used to strumous children, nor to those under six years old, and it is always wise to do a very small area at a time, as it is never quite certain how much inflammation will be excited, and a permanently bald patch is a perpetual memorial to the imprudence of the practitioner. This caution is applicable to all strong applications, which should never be used without pre- liminary investigation of the child's susceptibility. The crust formed by the acetic acid should be removed in two or three days with forceps, and weak parasiticides used for a week before again applying the acetic acid; this plan may be used at intervals during the course of other treatment. In cases of long standing, glycerine of carbolic acid B. P., or even one in three, has many friends, but it has been only moderately successful in my hands ; it is, however, valuable in this respect, that after it has been used for a week or two, the sensibility of the part is much diminished, and epilation can be carried out comparatively painlessly. It must, however, not only be rubbed in, but the part thoroughly soaked with it. Another remedy that I regard as most valuable in this respect, and for a large proportion of cases of all kinds, is oleate of copper, of which Shoemaker and Le Sieur Weir were the earliest and strongest advocates ; as a rule, a drachm of the chemical oleate to one ounce, in the form of ointment, is most generally useful; and where the patient is tolerant, the strength may be gradually increased up to 5iv to the ounce; and I have used equal parts. In many cases, under its use the diseased hairs drop out, and leave the part bald and smooth; and even where this is not the case, epilation is generally much facilitated, the majority of the hairs coming out entire and with little pain. In a large number of cases, a complete and satisfactory cure may be effected by its persevering employ- ment, but, like everything else, it fails completely in some cases. In some of these, the addition of 20 per cent, oleate of mercury in equal parts is useful. Liveing, however, and some others do not speak well of copper oleate, possibly because the ointment has not been sufficiently strong. When it has been too strong, or the subject very sensitive, a certain amount of kerion has been set up, but this] is scarcely a drawback, as the result is the destruction of the parasite, and I have never known permanent baldness from its use; it is also quite exceptional to have more than a few pimples or pustules, its principal drawback, in my opinion, being its bright green colour. Shoemaker recommends that the head should