3.  Skin Blotches, Cream of Tartar and Sulphur for.—­“Two ounces cream tartar and one ounce of powdered sulphur (from the lump).  Mix.  Dose:—­Teaspoonful in a little water three times a day will cure.”

4.  Rough Skin, Healing Cream for.—­“One-fourth cup tallow melted, one teaspoonful glycerin, small lump camphor, dissolved.  Mix all together by warming sufficiently.”  Rub in thoroughly as you do any face cream.

Physicians’ treatment for Pimples.—­Remove the cause if possible.  The diet should be like that given under dyspepsia and constipation.  Menstrual disorders should be remedied.

Local.—­Remove the plugs (of sebum) and stimulate the skin glands.  For this purpose prolonged (ten minutes at a time) bathing of the face with hot water and soap; tincture of green soap in the more indolent, sluggish cases, should precede the pressing out of the blackheads:  Lateral pressure with the fingers or with the comedone extractor, especially contrived for this purpose, will express the black-heads.  After they are out, the skin dried and cleaned, various stimulating remedies can be applied in ointments and lotions such as following: 

1.  “Precipitated Sulphur 1 dram
      Ointment of Rose water 1 ounce

Mix and rub on at night.”

2.  Beta-Naphthol 1/2 dram
      Resorcin 1/2 dram
      Lanolin 1 ounce

Mix and apply locally.

Inflammation of the Skin. (Dermatitis).—­This is due to many causes.  It can come from injuries, for instance the rubbing or pressure of ill-fitting clothes, bandages, bites of insects and from scratching.

Varieties.—­Dermatitis ambustionis, (burning).  This is due to excessive heat upon the skin.

[Skin diseases 63]

Physicians’ treatment for Inflammation of the Skin.—­Relieve the pain; protect the parts; exclude the air.  Paint the burned part with a one to five per cent solution of cocaine, according to the severity of inflammation.  Then apply soothing lotions of equal parts of lime-water and olive or linseed oil; cover the whole with absorbent cotton.  Dusting powder of soda bicarbonate may also be used, or common soda.  In burns with vesicles, etc., open them and then cover with carbolized oil, gauze and adhesive to hold the dressing.  The parts can be washed with a solution of boric acid, one teaspoonful to a cup of water; then dust upon the parts sugar of lead once or twice a day.  Some use it in solution; I like the powder better.  Infusion of lobelia, one ounce to pint of hot water, is good.  Also lead and laudanum wash.

Eczema. (Humid Tetter-Salt Rheum-Dry Tetter).  Definition.—­Eczema is an inflammatory disease of the skin, characterized at its commencement by redness, pimples, vesicles, pustules and their combinations, with itching and burning.  It terminates in a watery or pus-like discharge with the formation of crusts or scaling.