|
|
Home Medical and Vet Remedies, as Recommended by 19th and 20th century Doctors and Vets! |
|
|
Home Medical and Vet Remedies, as Recommended by 19th and 20th century Doctors and Vets! |
|
Prurigo.At first the disease consists simply in this rash, but as time elapses the constant scratching results in an inflammatory thicken ing of the skin which becomes hard and feels like a board. Another result of the constant scratching is a discoloration of the skin, which assumes a brown color. The rash, in the early stages, can be felt before it is seen ; it is only after it has endured a considerable time that the pimples become sufficiently large to be seen. In the course of time the glands in the groin and in the arm pits, if the arms also be affected, become enlarged and hardened. A frequent result of the scratching is eczema of the leg, the result of which is to increase still further the thickening of the skin and the enlargement of the glands. As to the cause of this disease, there is no definite information ; it has been supposed to result from improper nourishment, and from various affections of the nervous system; it is also observed that the children of consumptive parents are more fre quently affected than in those of others. Scrofulous children who suffer from eczema (as they so often do) are very apt to have prurigo of the skin in consequence. The disease is, in most cases, congenital; that is to say, the child manifests the beginning of it in the first year or two of life. If treated early, it is often possible to cure the disease per manently; but if allowed to go untreated until the child becomes 10 or 12 years old, the disease often resists all remedies. Among children, prurigo occurs in all classes of society, the well-to-do as well as the poor. Among adults, on the other hand, it is confined almost exclusively to the poorer classes; this fact alone indicates that the persistence of the disease is favored by neglect of sanitary conditions - a fact which is also illustrated by other features of the disease. Treatment.-The treatment of the disease must always begin with strict attention to the sanitary surroundings of the patient. It will be necessary to give him the best nourishment and care. Some cases have been much improved by residence at the seaside. As for the remedies to be used, reliance is chiefly placed upon arsenic. This maybe given in the following prescription: Fowler's solution, - - One and a half drachms. Wine of iron, - Two ounces. Simple syrup, - - One ounce. Water, - - - - One ounce. Mix, and take a teaspoonful after meals. In the local treatment of the rash it becomes necessary to employ some means to relieve the intense itching. For this pur pose alkaline baths are useful. These may be made by adding eight ounces of the bicarbonate of soda to eighteen or twenty gal lons of water. Sometimes much relief can be obtained by oiling the skin. For this purpose we may use either pure sweet oil or cod liver oil, or the following: Perchloride of mercury, One grain. Dilute hydrocyanic acid, - One drachm. Emulsion of almonds, - - _ Five ounces. A simpler and often very efficient application to the skin is the following: Chloroform, ----- Two drachms. Glycerine, - One ounce. In adults the affection is usually incurable ; the most that can be done is to relieve the itching and irritation of the skin. Yet the disease involves no danger to life, and need occasion no anxiety on that account. But first, if you want to come back to this web site again, just add it to your bookmarks or favorites now! Then you'll find it easy! Also, please consider sharing our helpful website with your online friends.
|
|