The Science of Therapeutics - Classical Homeopathy Online

Full text of "The Science of Therapeutics: According to the Principles of Homeopath...Page 415 of 653The causes of eczema are either external irritants acting directlupon the skin, or else substances that affect this organ throughgeneral circulation into which they had been absorbed, or finallyconstitutional influences. Heat, for instance, causes the sobaker's itch; and heat, intense cold, salt- baths, mercurial fricCroton-oil, etc., a number of medicinal agents taken internally,food or food giving rise to an unusual deposition of fat, scrofulEczema. 491nffections of the female organs of generation, varices, and in geall kinds of stasis in the venous system, and a number of othersimilar circumstances and influences uniformly occasion eczema.Among the direct cutaneous irritants we distinguish: neglect inattending to the skin, vermin, friction by the clothes, continuedrubbing of a part, for instance between the thighs when riding onhorseback, and by continued walking.The reason why eczema has given rise to so much confusion irf,because its various modes of origination were not properly considered, and an eye was only had to the various modifications whithe appearance of an eczematous part undergoes in consequence ofthe formation of crusts or scurfs, scratching, dirt, hair of thebody, etc. The typical form of eczema is obtained by rubbingCroton-oil upon the skin. Upon a red surface a number of vesiclesor pimples shoot up which, if carefully guarded, heal in a few daleaving the affected portion of the skin injected. If the vesicleare not protected, if they are scratched or rubbed against by theclothes, the vesicles break, and crusts form, beneath which, if tirritation continues, the exudation continues likewise ; or elseexudation may be so copious that no crusts can form, in which casthe affected part always looks red and moist. If the irritation ctinues, the eczema spreads to the adjoining parts ; scratching evcommunicates it to remote parts ; beside the vesicles, pustules flikewise, the so-called eczema impetiginoides, and the original fof the exanthem is totally altered.Three modifications have been distinguished more particularly.First the eczema simplex. Upon the cuticle, having a naturalcolor, small vesicles spring up irregularly, without forming anydefinite clusters ; they gradually grow in size, break, dischargemoisture, heal by desquamation, then reappear again at the sameplace, and, favored by circumstances, pass into the following forEczema rubrum ; upon an injected and infiltrated spot, vesicles osmall pimples spring up whose tops are filled with a watery moistAfter the bursting of the vesicles, desquamation ends the processFinally eczema impetiginoides which is by far the most commonform of eczema, consisting of vesicles and pimples or papulae, soof which change to pustules ending in the formation of crusts ;hence this form is properly speaking a combination of eczema andimpetigo.According to their locality we have several strikingly characterized forms of eczema, among which we distinguish the following:http://www.archive.org/stream/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog_djvu.txt