A practical treatise on diseases of the skin / by John V. Shoemaker.

  • John Veitch Shoemaker
Date:
1888
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A practical treatise on diseases of the skin / by John V. Shoemaker. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by University of Bristol Library. The original may be consulted at University of Bristol Library.

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    Sometimes a little blood may be found mingled with the sernm. Oc- casionally the amount of exudation is so great as to form a bulla, as in urticaria bullosum, or a node, as in urticaria nodosum. PapulaB, Papules, Pimples.—Papules are small, solid elevations of the skin of new formation, ranging in size from a mustard-seed to a split pea. They may be of any color from red to black, and are either round, flat, or conical in form. They occur in a great many diseases, and are due to a number of difEerent pathological processes. Sometimes they are due to an excessive growth and accumulation of e])idermic cells around the orifices of the hair-follicles, as in keratosis pilaris. At other times they are caused by retention of sebum, as in milium and comedo. They may also be due to an abnormal develop- ment of the papillae of the corium, as in verruca and ichthyosis, or to a hyperplasia of the rete mucosum, as in psoriasis and cornu cutaneum. The most common variety of papules are those which occur in acne and eczema, and are due to inflammation, and plastic exudation into the skin. Papules may also be produced by cell-infiltration, as in syphilis, or by a new cell-growth, as in lupus and carcinoma. Occa- sionally they are due to haemorrhage, as in purj)ura papulosa. Those which are the result of the inflammatory process are usually attended by more or less itching, and frequently become converted into vesicles or pustules. Tubercula, Tubercles.—Tubercles are solid elevations of the skin of new formation, varying in size from a split pea to a hazelnut. They are of different colors, but are usually reddish or flesh-colored. They are generally circular or oval, but may be flattened or irregular in outline. They are caused by an intensification of the same morbid processes which are concerned in the production of papules, and differ from them only in their greater size. In fact, the line of distinction is mainly an arbitrary one. Many of the tubercles met with in disease begin as papules, and by involving deeper tissues and a greater extent of surface develop into tubercles. Syphilis, leprosy, lupus, and carci- noma present typical examples of this metamorphosis. Tubercles undergo various changes after the acme of their develop- ment has been reached. Those which are purely inflammatory may proceed to complete involution by absorption of their contents and desquamation of their epidermic covering. If due to the retention of sebum, they may become indurated by calcification of their contents, or they may soften and suppurate. Syphilitic tubercles usually termi- nate in ulceration. Tubercles due to neoplastic growths generally end in ulceration, but occasionally they manifest a disjiosition to remain without undergoing any change whatever. Tumores, Tumors.—Tumors are large, solid elevations of the skin, of all sizes from a hazelnut to a cocoanut, or even larger. They are generally spherical or hemispherical in form, but may be cylindrical
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