A handbook of local therapeutics / edited by Harrison Allen.

Date:
1893
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A handbook of local therapeutics / edited by Harrison Allen. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    88/554 (page 76)
    equal parts of alcohol, water, and nitrate of ammonium (five grains to the fluidounce) the part to be kept covered with lint saturated with the solution. It IS most useful as a stimulating, astringent wash for parts exposed to pressure, in order to prevent the formation of Bed Sores For this purpose it may be used diluted with equal parts of water, and should be applied with friction. Often the addition of alum will tend to harden the skin and make it less liable to fissure. Alcohol (or what is used in many of our hospitals-common whisky on account of its cheapness) is employed to great advantage in Sponging THE Limb in Cases of Fracture, after the removal of the bandages adding greatly to the patient's comfort by restoring the cutaneous functions. In the bloody oozing which is often seen in Carcinoma of the breast, alcohol compresses are often used with most satisfactory results. Uterine Hemorrhage may often be controlled by placing a sponge saturated with alcohol in the cavity of the uterus and causing the viscus to contract. Absolute alcohol is one of the very best materials in which to preserve Catgut Ligatures, as it keeps them firm and does not interfere with their flexibility, while bichloride of mercury and carbolic acid render them brittle and weak. A mixture of alcohol and white of egg also forms an excellent appli- cation in the earliest stages of threatening Bedsore. It is to be applied frequently with a fine brush, and renewed as it dries until an albuminous coating is formed over the excoriated surface. Alcohol has also been used as an antiseptic and for dressing Ulcers and Atonic Sores. Diseases of the Skin.—Alcohol is employed in diseases of the skin as a local anaesthetic and as an adjuvant to various lotions. The anaesthetic effect depends, in all probability, upon the cold which its rapid evaporation produces. Employed alone or with the addition of chloroform, alcohol is often of benefit as a lotion in Urticaria and some forms of Erythema, especially Erythema Caloricum, or Frost Bite. R. Chloroformi, fgiv; Alcoholis, fgiv. M. As an astringent, alcohol acts by hardening the tissues of the skin, and is thus useful in preventing maceration in cases of Hyperidrosis and in other complaints. Holgate, of New York {Arch, of Pediatrics, 1889), treats N^vus by the injection of five to seven minims of 95 per cent, alcohol. The naevus is encircled by a ring on which pressure is exerted to arrest the circulation. The point of the syringe is gradually withdrawn during the injection. The tumor solidifes and the tissues shrink. The injection is repeated at intervals of several weeks until the disappearance of the growth has been effected. Diseases of the Ear, Nose, and Throat.—Alcohol (95 per cent.) has been recommended for the treatment of Otorrhea. Opinions have