Sleep in its relations to diseases of the skin / by L. Duncan Bulkley.

  • Lucius Duncan Bulkley
Date:
1895
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Sleep in its relations to diseases of the skin / by L. Duncan Bulkley. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    be relieved, if practicable, for the reasons already mentioned. 5. Psychic.—Psycliic disturbances of sleep are not at all uncommon, and will often have to be met in treating dis- eases of the skin. Mental cares, whether of business, domes- tic, or social character, may all at times act as powerful de- pressants, and by interfering witli perfect sleep hinder the cure of skin lesions. In addition to general rules, and the endeavor to free tlie mind from the disturbing load, these cases will often receive the greatest benefit from the judi- cious use of proper hypnotic remedies for a short period. I well remember the case of a yyung lady, much afflicted with acne, who had been utterly sleepless for some little time, ow- ing to an unfortunate love affair. A few full doses of a mild hypnotic insured prolonged and refreshing sleep, after which tlie preceding troubles vanished under the a]>|)ropriate treat- ment. G. Cutaneous.—Before speaking of the relief of sleep dis- turbed by pain, itching, and burning in the skin^ I wish to make a single cautionary remark, namely: It is an error to su]>pose in every instance where the patient complains that the sleep is disturbed by tnese causes that this is wholly the case. In many, many instances, some of the other elements which we have considered are really at the bottom of the sleep disturbance, and when the patient is thus deprived of sleep the pain or itching asserts itself, and then formt) an additional cause of wakefulness. A single illustration will suffice to recall others. How often do we find that those who are called upon to empty the bladder at niglit are, when thus aroused, distressed and then kej)t awake by the itching which is induced by the exposure of the surface to the air after warmth in bed. The same occurs when some are awakened by troublesome dreams, by palpitation, by in- digestion, or ])erhap8 by a laryngeal cough, of gouty origin, it may be. Now the careful and proper attentiou given to these, and their removal by appropi-iate measures, will often be of the very greatest importance in securing rest in sleep for those afflicted with diseases of the skin. And if this re- freshing sleep is obtained, then with the resulting gain to the nervous system the very ])ain or itching will be less an- noying, and 80 will be more easily controlled. We may dismiss very briefly the subject of pain as a dis- turber of sleep in connection with diseases of the skin. This