Haydn's dictionary of popular medicine and hygiene : comprising all possible self-aids in accidents and disease being a companion for the traveller, emigrant, and clergyman as well as for the heads of all families and institutions / edited by Edwin Lankester ; assisted by distinguished members of the Royal Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons.
- Date:
- 1874
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Haydn's dictionary of popular medicine and hygiene : comprising all possible self-aids in accidents and disease being a companion for the traveller, emigrant, and clergyman as well as for the heads of all families and institutions / edited by Edwin Lankester ; assisted by distinguished members of the Royal Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
674/700 page 644
![the course of a month or six weeks usually return again with the same activity. Occasion- lly spasmodic wry-)ieck is a temporary affection excited by gastric and intestinal irritation or congestion of the liver. In cases of genuine wry-neck, whether congenital or acquired, cure may sometimes he- effected by the use of a collar or machine contrived in order to keep up prolonged and gradually increasing extension of the contracted sterno-mastoid muscle. This kind of treatment is usually associated with frequently repeated shampooing of the afl'ected side of the neck. In old and advanced cases, however, this treatment will prove ineffectual, and then the last resource of the surgeon will be subcutaneous division of the contracted muscle. This operation, followed by gradual elevation of the head by means of a collar, generally results in permanent cure. XANTHELASMA is a disease of the skin in which yellow slightly raised patches occur on vaiious parts of the body. It is most common around the eyelids, but is seen also- on the elbows, knuckles, and other parts of the body. It is sometimes associated with jaundice, but it is a condition of no practical importance, and recjuires no treatment. It is of very rare occurrence, and gives rise to no troublesome symptoms. XANTHIC OXIDE, or XANTHINE, is sometimes met with in the form of a calculus, or stone in the bladder; such stones are usually small, but are of such rare oc- currence as to be looked wpon more as curiosities than as possessing any practical interest. XANTHINE. See Xakthic Oxide. XEEODEEMA, or ICHTHYOSIS, is a form of dry skin sometimes met with in children and adults. It is usually congenital, and may occur in many members of the- same family. The skin is dry, harsh, and rough. On the face the epidermis is usually comparatively smooth ; on the neck it is rough and has a branny ajspearance ; on the rest of the body, cracks are seen on the skin. Such patients do not generally enjoy good health, and are liable to palpitation of the heart. Treatment. This is usually of but little avail. Olive oil will remove the scales and improve the general appearance, while cod-liver oil and steel may be taken internally for- the benefit of the health. YAWS. This is a skin eruijtion, i'arel}% if ever, seen in England ; it is common im the West Indies and in Africa. At first there is a slight fever, which is soon followed by an erujition of small flat pimples, which increase \mi\\ they have a diameter of half an inch ; new spots appear while the old ones are going away. The eruption is greatest, and. the spots are largest, on the face, arm-pits, arms, and groins. In eight or ten days the eruption becomes pustular and a crust forms, beneath which there is a foul, unhealthy- looking ulcer ; from this ulcer red granulations spring up. These ulcers exist aU over the- body in different stages at the same time, and often there is also ulceration of the throat. The rash may continue frojn a few weeks to seven or eight months ; after a time the sores- heal and contract, generally leaving no scar. ]\Iuch emaciation and debility, and often, dropsy, follow this disorder. The disease is contagious, and may be transmitted by inoculation. Treatment. Mild and stimulating ointments may be used locally, while tonics should he given and a liberal diet. Mercurial preparations have been tried, and do no good. YEAST, as used in medicine, is chiefly employed in making poultices. These are- applied to old sores, but are not so useful as charcoal poultices or those of chlorinated soda.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21908072_0674.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
