144 GENERAL THERAPEUTICS FOR VETERINARIANS 



treating internal diseases, must be discussed in special chapters. 

 The operative treatment of tumors and wounds must also be 

 omitted from this section. For the prophylactic method (harden- 

 ing of the skin to cold, care of the skin, clipping), the reader is 

 referred to the text-books on hygiene and dietetics. There re- 

 main to be considered of the general therapeutic methods the 

 cutaneous irritant method, the caustics, firing and the astringent 

 method. In addition, the treatment of the diseases of the skin 

 will be reviewed in a general way. 



1. GENERAL THERAPEUTICS OF THE DISEASES OF 

 THE SKIN 



Eczema. — The very diverse and essential differences in the 

 individual diseases of the skin render a discussion of the subject in 

 a general way very difficult. Leaving out of consideration those 

 skin diseases belonging to the domain of surgery (dermatitis, 

 tumors, ulcers, phlegmona, erysipelas, foreign bodies, gangrene, 

 acne and furunculosis) and the acute infectious exanthemas (pox, 

 aphthous fever, swine erysipelas), there still remains of the skin 

 diseases in a restricted sense a group of dermatoses known under 

 the name of eczema which are of great practical importance. In 

 special pathology, a distinction is made between parasitic and 

 non-parasitic eczema. For the treatment of parasitic eczema 

 (mange, herpes, lice, fleas) the antiparasitic method is employed. 

 This is described in detail in another place (p. 160). The non- 

 parasitic eczema appears, as is well known, in many different 

 forms. There are recognized erythematous, papular, vesicular, 

 pustular, crustaceous, squamous, seborrhoeic, sycosiform, acute 

 and chronic eczema. The treatment of the several forms is very 

 different. Next to the causal method, which consists in removing 

 and combating the cause (removal of external irritants, cleaning, 

 disinfection), the symptomatic treatment of the local alterations is 

 the most important. The derivative and internal treatment of 

 eczema with cathartics and arsenic, formerly employed, has been 

 abandoned and replaced by the local treatment. The local treat- 



