Manual of diseases of the skin / from the French of Cazenave ; with notes and additions by Thomas H. Burgess.
- Pierre Louis Alphée Cazenave
- Date:
- 1854
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Manual of diseases of the skin / from the French of Cazenave ; with notes and additions by Thomas H. Burgess. Source: Wellcome Collection.
48/446 page 38
![[In tlie last édition, tlie authors say tli.at tliey hâve for some time substituted potato-starch for flax-seed, and for several years past Lave discontinued the use of moist and even emollient applications, and bave sprinkled the affected parts with dry starch or powdered rice with the hest results.] Finaliy, amongst local means we must not forget leeches. These should never be applied on the diseased skin, but in the neighbour- hood, uidess, indeed, the quantity of blood abstracted is sueh as ■ndll compensate for the irritation produced by their bites. Succes- sive applications of leeches will generally be required. Local excitants are of various kinds, and often veiy useful ; they seem to modiïy the vitality of the skin. They comprise vapour baths and douches, alkaline baths, sulphureous baths of every kind, lotions or ointment containing mercury, sulphur, iodine, &c. When speaking of the particular treatment of each disease, we shall consider these préparations more fully. When an inereased degree of irritation is required, great benefit may be derived from blisters applied after Paré’s plan. Should it be necessary to change the State of the diseased surface completely, or check the progress of some destructive malady, we hâve recourse to caustic. Acids in various States of dilution, and especially the hydrochloric, may be employed, or the nitrate of silver passed lightly over the surface ; in some cases a single application is sufficient, in others we must frequently use the caustie before a lasting effect is ob- tained. In cases of lupus more powerful caustics are required; the arsenical paste of Corne is one of the most efficacious, but it requires a practised hand for its use ; we hâve also the binitrate of mercury, either aloue or dissolved in concentrated nitric acid ; or the chloride of zinc may be employed with advantage instead of them. Before speaking of constitutional treatment we may ask, is it always necessary to bave recourse to general remedies ? May we not obtain a cure by local means alone ? In some rare cases, where the cutaneous disease is slight and limited in exteut, local means may suffice ; but, generally speak- ing, a constitutional treatment is necessary, for cutaneous diseases arc alrnost always connected with some dérangement of the general health, against whieh local remedies are powerless.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b28049573_0048.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
