Varieties.—­There are many varieties, red, scaly, fissured, watery looking and hard skin.

Symptoms.—­Itching is almost always a symptom of this disease.  There is more or less pouring out of liquid (serum).  The dry, scaly type, and the weeping type, may alternate with each other.  There are six cardinal symptoms; inflammation, itching, moisture, crusting, infiltration (liquid filling of the tissues), fissuring or cracking.  Dr. Fox says that nearly one-third of all skin diseases are eczema in some of its stages or varieties.  In one kind there is red spot (macule).  The skin is dry, of a bright or dull red color, with intense itching or burning, more or less watery swelling in the acute stage.  In the chronic stage, the skin becomes thick and covered with fine dry scales, usually in the face (Eczema Erythematosum).

Eczema Vesiculosum. (Vesicular Eczema).—­This is preceded by a feeling of heat and irritation about the part.  In a short time pinhead sized vesicles appear.  These frequently run together and form patches.  They rupture rapidly; the liquid is poured out, dries up and forms crusts.  The discharge stiffens linen, a characteristic of this variety.

Eczema Pustulosum. (Pustules).  Pustular Kind.—­This is nearly like the preceding.  The vesicles have pus in them from the start or develop from the vesicles.  When the pustules rupture, their contents dry up to the thick greenish-yellow crusts.  The scalp and face, in children especially, are the favored spots for this kind.  It occurs in poorly nourished children.

[64 Mothers’ remedies]

Eczema Papulosum. (Papular Variety).—­This is characterized by flat or sharp pointed reddish pimples (papules), varying in size from a small to a large pin-head.  They are usually numerous, run or crowd together and form large patches.  The itching is usually very intense.  This causes much scratching, rawness and crusts.  The pimples may continue as such, or change into vesicles.  In chronic cases they run together, and finally form thick scaly patches, and may run into a scaly eczema.

Eczema Rubrum (red).—­The skin looks red, raw, and “weeps.”  It is most commonly found about the face and scalp in children, and the lower parts of the legs in the old.

Eczema Squamosis. (Scaling).—­This may follow any of the other varieties, but usually follows the red and pimple (papule) variety.  They are various sized and shaped reddish patches, which are dry and more or less scaly.  Thickening is always present, also a tendency to cracking of the skin, especially if it affects the joints.  There are other varieties but these are the most important.

Recovery.—­Eczema has a tendency to persist and rarely disappears spontaneously.

Causes.—­Gout, diabetes, rheumatism, Bright’s disease, dyspepsia, constipation, nervous trouble, heat, cold, strong soaps, acids, alkalies, rubbing, scratching, etc.