As Recommended by 19th and 20th century Doctors! Courtesy of www.DoctorTreatments.com |
|
and please share with your online friends.
Nettle-rash - Urticaria.The rash may appear on any part of the body ; when it is developed on the face the skin may swell enormously, so as to alarm the individual extremely. In most cases there is no constitutional disturbance aside from the irritation caused by the itching ; in some cases there is, on the other hand, slight fever. Nettle-rash in the adult differs somewhat from the same rash as it appears in the child. In the adult the wheals are well marked and disappear completely, leaving no trace of their presence. In the child the wheals are usually not so distinct, and are often followed by the appearance of little pimples. These may persist for days and are called by a separate name - lichen urticatns. The wheals rarely persist for more than a few hours, and often disappear in a comparatively few minutes. The rash usually appears in the morning, disappears before noon, and perhaps is seen again once or twice in the course of the day. It is apt to recur on the following day, and perhaps daily for a week. Nettle-rash occurs most frequently in women and children. It is often the result of some indiscretion in diet. Oysters, fish, pickles, honey and strawberries are among the articles which seem especially apt to induce an attack of urticaria. Certain medicines also occasion nettle-rash in some individuals. Thus it has been known to follow the use of turpentine, copaiba, chloral and morphine. Some individuals learn by experience to avoid certain articles of food and certain drugs, knowing the indulgence in them is followed by an outbreak of nettle-rash. Urticaria also follows the irritation caused by vermin in the clothing and the itch. In fact, long-continued irritation of the skin from any cause may induce an attack in an individual predisposed to it. Nettle-rash also appears as an accompaniment of several constitutional diseases ; among these affections are catarrh of the stomach and of the bowels, jaundice and Bright's disease of the kidneys. It has also been observed during the course of typhoid fever, of rheumatism and of intermittent fever. Treatment.-The treatment of nettle-rash will depend altogether upon the cause. If it have resulted from eating oysters, shell fish, or the like, the most expeditious method of treatment consists in an emetic. For this purpose a teaspoonful of mustard in a glass of hot water may be given. If it can be traced to any derangement of the internal organs, such as catarrh of the stomach, the latter must, of course, receive appropriate treatment. If none of these causes be present, a careful search for bed-bugs, fleas and other skin irritants, should be instituted. While an acute attack of urticaria is in most cases easily disposed of, the chronic form in which the individual is tormented at short intervals and for days at a time with frequent attacks of nettle-rash, is a very troublesome affection. It is often impossible to cure such a nettle-rash until some disorder of the liver, or stomach, or uterus, which may be present, is permanently relieved. In every case the patient should for several days use only bland diet, especially milk, starchy articles, such as arrow root, corn-starch, and the like, and should avoid eating much meat or the use of condiments. He should also keep the bowels active by means of saline laxatives, such as the ordinary mineral waters, the citrate of magnesia, or epsom salts. Numerous remedies have been recommended for the relief of nettle-rash. Among these are the following : Sulphate of atropia, - Two grains. Distilled water, - Half a drachm. Glycerine, - - Half a drachm. Gum tragacanth, - Enough to make twenty pills. Take one morning and night. Another prescription is the fol- lowing : Strychnine, ----- One grain. Peppermint water, - Six ounces. Take a teaspoonful twice daily. In most cases it will be desirable for the patient to take Fowler's solution internally and to employ alkaline baths. The prescription may be written as follows : Fowler's solution, - Three drachms. Syrup of orange peel, - - Two ounces. Water, ----- Two ounces. Mix and take a teaspoonful before meals. An alkaline bath is made by adding from five to ten ounces of the bicarbonate of soda, or four ounces of borax to an ordinary bath containing twenty-five gallons. The patient may lie in this for fifteen or twenty minutes, the water being kept at a temperature of about 90 degrees F. In the intervals between the baths, one of the following lotions may be applied to the itching skin : Dilute hydrocyanic acid, - - One drachm. Solution of the acetate of ammonia, - Two ounces. Rose water, ... Four ounces. Soft cloths may be wet with this and applied to the skin. Cyanide or potassium, - Five grains. Cold cream, ------ One ounce. Mix and apply directly to the skin. This is an extremely poisonous mixture, and should be carefully guarded from careless hands ; it would be better to keep it in a dark place. Benzoic acid, - Fifty grains. Water, ----- Six ounces. This may be applied upon moist cloths. A similar course of treatment may be employed for children ; out it is usually necessary to use an extremely bland ointment, since the child's skin is especially tender. For children the following lotion may be used : Oxide of zinc, - - - Two drachms. Calamine powder, - Half an ounce. Glycerine, ----- Two ounces. Rose water, - Four ounces. Apply by means of soft cloths. 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.
|