HEMATIDROSIS

Synonyms.—Bloody sweat; Hemidrosis; Ephidrosis cruenta; Sudor sanguineosa;
Hysteric stigmata; Bleeding stigmata; Fr., Hématidrose.

Hematidrosis, or bloody sweat, is an extremely rare condition, and
its occurrence has very often been seriously doubted. The valuable
contributions and analytic review by Parrot,⁶ who collected the records

¹ Hoffmann, loc. cit.                ² Babes, Centralblatt für Wissensch., 1882, p. 146.

³ Balzer and Barthélemy, Annales, 1884, p. 317.
⁴Hartzell, University Med. Mag., July, 1893.

⁵ Van Harlingen, “Chapter on Chromidrosis,” Twentieth Century Practice, vol. v.
(“Diseases of the Skin”) (an excellent review of the subject).

⁶ Parrot, Gazette Hebdom. de Mêd. de Paris, 1859; Bouveret (loc. cit.) has given a
good condensed résumé of Parrot’s writings.

URIDROSIS

1081

of a large number of cases, have, however, placed the existence of such
an affection beyond question. Since then instances have been reported
by McCall Anderson, W. T. Mitchell, Hart, Hyde,¹ and others. Almost
any part of the body can be the seat of the manifestation, and it
may occur at several points simultaneously. The skin may be per­
fectly normal in appearance, or the “bleeding” may be momentarily
preceded by slight elevation of the integument. Somewhat allied cases
have also been described in which the bleeding was preceded by vesicle
or bleb formation and also by erythematous areas, sometimes becoming
superficially abraded or gangrenous; some of these latter probably belong
among the cases of “neurotic excoriations” of Erasmus Wilson, and
which may be open to the suspicion of artificial production.

Hematidrosis is chiefly observed in highly nervous, hysteric women,
and an attack usually appears during some intense emotional excite­
ment, and in some instances has been noted to be preceded by neuralgic
pain or hyperesthesia of the part. It has in a few cases been attributed
to faulty or vicarious menstruation. In Huss’ case, a highly nervous
woman, quoted by Parrot, the patient could bring on the bleeding by
purposely working herself into a state of excitement. In a few instances,
too, the condition might be considered as a part or symptom of hemo­
philia. The quantity of blood discharged is usually small. The affec­
tion is, in reality, scarcely hematidrosis; it is presumed, and probably
correctly, that an extravasation of blood takes place into and around
the sweat-coils, a purpura of the sweat-glands, as Crocker aptly states,
and this mixes and is discharged with the sweat secretion; or it may exude
into the sweat-glands by the process of diapedesis. It finds its exit
from the sweat-pores, and it is barely possible that there may be at the
time coincident increase in the sweat secretion itself.

Treatment is to be based purely upon indications in the individual
case.

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