746 PLASTIC OR PAPULAR INFLAilMATIONS. 



turbance arise from contaminated blood, owing- to the presence 

 of effete and deleterious matter, the natural emimctories of 

 bowels and kidneys must be placed in conditions favourable 

 for its purification. 



When the animal is plethoric, moderate purgatives, followed 

 by salines and diuretics, are indicated. If systemic weakness 

 is a prominent feature, a too active state of the bowels will 

 have to be guarded against; and probably such tonics as 

 muriate of cinchonine with muriatic acid, or sulphate of iron 

 with sulphuric acid, will serve our purpose better. 



If we discover disturbance of functional activity of other 

 organs, as liver or uterus, we must, by appropriate means," 

 endeavour to correct such ; while, if improper food or bad 

 stable conditions seem to have been operating, they will require 

 to be altered. Generally a mild evacuation of the bowels, and 

 attention to dietary, guided by the consideration whether the 

 animal is above or below par, folloAvcd by the employment of 

 moderate tonics and diuretics, are the constitutional remedies 

 most Hkely to be attended with good results. Locally Ave Avill 

 seldom fail to allay the irritation by repeated damping or 

 washing with an alkaline mixture, to which has been added a 

 little glycerine and dilute prussic acid. When the itching is 

 troublesome, either here or in other skin affections, I have 

 found much good from the use, twice daily, of a wash com- 

 posed of bichloride of mercury, grs. xii. ; dilute hydrocyanic 

 acid, fl. xiv. ; glycerine, or almond mixture, fl. 5ii. ; water, ti. 5X. 



C. PLASTIC OR PAPULAR INFLAMMATIONS. 



By the majority of those who have described the skin 

 diseases of our patients it would appear that the forms of cuta- 

 neous inflammatory action which I am disposed to place under 

 this division have been regarded either as manifestations of 

 eczema, or of true pustular inflammation, edht/ma. There seems, 

 however, sufficient evidence to satisfy that inflammatory action 

 of a plastic character does occur separate and distinct from the 

 true catarrhal on the one hand, and the pustular on the other. 



In these cutaneous inflammations of a plastic character there 

 is an effusion of coagulable lymph into the papillary layer and 

 rete, Avith distinct and circumscribed elevations, which, unless 

 abraded by friction — which they not unfrequently are — owing 



