SUPPLEMENT 707 



We frequently make use of Kaposi's naphthol ointment, as it 

 renders the skin supple, causes proportionately little irritation, and 

 has but little smell. Treatment with balsam of Peru is certainly 

 expensive, but in the slighter attacks it is relatively the simplest. We 

 give the patient a bath, have him thoroughly dried and rub in 30 to 

 40 to 50 grm. balsam of Peru carefully and evenly all over, wrap 

 him in a covering of wool, and make him rest in bed for twelve to 

 fifteen hours, to be followed by a bath with careful cleansing with 

 soap ; this treatment need rarely be repeated. The balsam of Peru 

 can be applied undiluted for the rubbings or mixed with ung. 

 glycerini, or resorbin or glycerine in equal parts. [Norman Walker 

 uses balsam of Peru ^ oz. dissolved in rectified spirit ; to be painted 

 on with a brush.] ]. P. S. The manufacturers name the undiluted 

 product of the active constituent of balsam of Peru, benzoic acid 

 benzyl-ester, Peruscabin. For the treatment of scabies it is recom- 

 mended by Sachs 1 that it should only be administered when mixed 

 with ricinus oil, under the name of Peru oil, in applications repeated 

 three times within thirty-six hours. 



Sack 2 also considers Peru oil a non-irritant, effectual, pleasant, 

 inodorous and non-staining drug. But he only allows the applica- 

 tions to be used every twelve hours for three to four consecutive days 

 (altogether 200 to 300 grm. of Peru oil are requisite), and after the 

 sixth or seventh rubbing a bath should be taken with the use of 

 Dutch soap. Juliusberg 3 considers this treatment specially suited 

 for private practice. Another modern drug is epicarin (/3-oxy- 

 naphthyl-ortho-oxy-meta-tolyol acid) ; this is applied in 10 to 20 per 

 cent, ointments (Pfeiffenberger 4 ), epicarin 7-0 grm., cretae alb. 2*0 grm., 

 vasel. flavi 30^0 grm., lanolin 15-0 grm., axungia poric. 45*0 grm. 

 (Rille 5 ) ; epicarin 15-0 grm., sapon. virid. 5*0 grm., axung. poric. 100*0 

 grm., cretae alb. 10*0 grm. (Kraus 6 ) ; for children, epicarin 5*0 grm., 

 lanolin 90*0 grm., ol. olivar. 10*0 grm. (Kaposi 7 ). Siebert 8 lays stress 

 upon the odourlessness and colourlessness of epicarin ointment as a 

 strong reason for its use, and points out that it is a harmless drug, the 

 action of which is certain. Endermol (salicylic acid ointment) has a 

 destructive action on the mites even in a 0*1 per cent, ointment 

 (Wolters, 9 Demitsch 10 ) ; it is, however, very expensive and not wholly 

 free from danger; and the same applies to nicotiana soap (Taenzer, 11 

 Schumann 12 ). 



1 Sachs, Deutsch. med, Wochenschr., 1900. 



2 Sack, " Handb. d. Hautkrankh.," v. Mracek. 



3 Jultusberg, Therap. Monatsh. , 1901. 



4 Pfeiffenberger, Klin, therap. Wochenschr., 1900. r> Rille, " Die Heilkunde," 1900. 



6 Kraus, Allg. wien. med. Zeit., 1900. 7 Kaposi, IVien. med. Wochenschr.^ 1900. 



8 Siebert, Munch, med. Wochcnschr., 1900. <J Wolters, Therap. Monatsh., 1898. 



10 Demitsch, Wratsch, 1905, iv. n Taenzer, Monatsh. f. prakt. Derm., xxi. 

 12 Schumann, Allg. med. Central-Zeitg., 1901. 



