520 DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 



tremelj tender. Systematic washing with soap and water, or alcohol, 

 is the best preventive of the formation of new crusts, although it does 

 not alter the abnormal character of the cutaneous secretion. For 

 Beborrhoea capillitii the hair-dressers use an evening lotion of " honey 

 water," and a morning inunction of the head with macassar-oiL This 

 is a most rational procedure ; for the honey-water, which contains al- 

 cohol, loosens the scales, and the admixture of liquid of Macassar-oil to 

 the solidifying sebaceous matter prevents it from drying up into new 

 scales. Instead of the honey-water, however, any other liquid contain- 

 ing alcohol, such as French brandy, or eau de cologne, may be em- 

 ployed, and any other oil will do instead of Macassar-oil. In treating 

 Bayer's ichthyosis sebacea, especial attention must be paid to the 

 state of the sexual organs, since experience teaches that, upon relief 

 of any existing derangement of the latter, the tendency to excessive 

 production of sebaceous matter also subsides. Local applications 

 alone merely prevent accumulation of the secretion, but not its super- 

 abundant generation. When, instead of flowing from the follicle, the 

 secretion solidifies within it, creating hard masses like the shell which 

 forms on the scalp in seborrhoea (as above described), we have the 

 comedo, the milium, or atheroma. In a comedo, the outlet of the fol- 

 licle is obstructed by a plug of black, hardened sebaceous matter, 

 mingled with dust. Upon compressing the follicle, its contents are 

 squeezed out of the contracted orifice, and, like any other pasty sub- 

 stance, forced through a sieve, it assumes a fusiform shape. A milium 

 means a follicle distended by hardened secretion to the size of a mil- 

 let-seed, and covered by epidermis, so that there is no visible black 

 speck in its middle. Atheromata are sebaceous glands distended by 

 their inspissated contents to the size of a hazel-nut, walnut, or pigeon's- 

 egg. It is easy to understand that an excessively distended sebaceous 

 gland blends with the hair-follicles, into whose outlet it opens. In 

 treatment of the comedo we can merely remove the accumulated mat- 

 ter, it being out of our power to prevent its production. For persons 

 who are vain enough to submit to a somewhat unpleasant process, in 

 order to rid themselves from time to time of their comedones, I em- 

 ploy the following prescription (originally proposed by JRichter), and 

 have always obtained very good results from it, if not very speedy 

 ones : A mixture is to* be made of rye-meal, honey, and yeast ; after 

 waiting until it ferments, the fermenting paste is to be applied at bed- 

 time upon the part of the face upon which the comedones are situ 

 ated. Next morning, those comedones which evidently are somewhat 

 loosened and elevated but only those are to be pressed out, not 

 oetween the nails, or under a watch-key, but under a gentle pressure 

 of the fingers. This process must be kept up for several weeks. We 



