TBICHOPHYTON TONSTJBANS. 145 



gestion of the skin which- cause exudation, an accelerated forma- 

 tion of the epidermis, scaling off and production of crusts, because 

 the swollen hair exerts pressure on the skin. 



Treatment. The brothers Mahon cured, in from eight to ten 

 months, the disease, with the remedies employed in favus, and 

 which will therefore be mentioned hereafter. 



Cazenave warns us against the use of very powerful local 

 means, recommending washing with solution of borax^ and 

 anointing with tar and citron, tannin, liver of sulphur, &c. ; and 

 he states that he cured the disease in six, eight, and twelve 

 months, and restored the hair in every case. 



Neither the brothers Mahon nor Cazenave begin their treat- 

 ment with epilation, and the disease may be cured, as Bazin 

 assures us, solely by the above remedies, but only very slowly. 



According to Bazin, epilation ought to succeed most wonder- 

 fully with successive parasiticidal washings; but, unfortunately, the 

 hair will break off at the slightest touch for the purpose of epila- 

 tion, and only a few retain their roots. It is easy at the very 

 outset to arrest the progress of the disease by depriving every 

 little patch of its hair, and washing with a solution of corrosive 

 sublimate (two grammes are dissolved in alcohol, and 500 

 grammes of distilled water added). Acetate of copper and other 

 strong local remedies irritate the skin too much, and accelerate 

 the growth of the fungus enormously. The cure is rapid. If, 

 however, circular, scaly patches, with broken hair in white 

 sheaths, slate-coloured skin, and bristly follicles exist, then the 

 cure becomes tedious, because the hair can only be removed par- 

 tially and very imperfectly. The eccentric spreading of the 

 disease may be very much restricted by freeing the patches from 

 scales and broken hair, and tearing out, all around, every hair of 

 suspicious look and colour, and applying the above-mentioned 

 lotion. The lotion must, however, be continued for several days, 

 and the patches, together with the hair, treated with an ointment* 

 of from thirty to fifty centigrammes of iodide of sulphur to thirty 

 grammes of lard. As soon as the hair grows again over the 

 diseased places they must be removed afresh. The lotion with 

 corrosive sublimate is to be continued as long as the parts 

 covered with hair are no longer swollen, or until they have lost 

 their slate colour, and the root comes out on endeavouring to 

 draw out the hair. This method requires from three to four 

 months, rarely more. 



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