146 THE TREATMENT OP DISEASES. 



it will often prevent the formation of fresh ones. There are certain local measures 

 which may be advantageously adopted, in addition to taking the sulphide of calcium. 

 When you send to the chemist for your powders, tell him to forward you a bottle 

 of liniment composed of equal parts of belladonna liniment and glycerine. At the 

 same time order a piece of belladonna plaster, three inches square : the best is that 

 spread on leather. Now cut a hole in the middle of your plaster about the size of 

 tie boil, and apply it so that the boil protrudes through the aperture. You will find 

 no difficulty in making your plaster stick if you warm it for a little time before the 

 fire. Next, daub the boil gently but thoroughly with the liniment. Lastly, put a 

 small linseed-meal poultice over the whole, taking care that it does not extend beyond 

 the plaster. Change the poultice as often as it gets cold, and each time apply fresh 

 liniment freely to the boil. The belladonna liniment helps to reduce the inflamma- 

 tion and allay the pain. We have already mentioned that a poultice applied to the 

 skin in the neighbourhood of boils often brings out a fresh crop. The object of the 

 plaster is to protect the healthy skin from the direct contact of the poultice. 

 This is the best treatment of boils with which we are acquainted. We have had 

 considerable experience of it, and we are enabled to speak of it most favourably. 

 Of course, when a tendency to boils is known to depend on any particular cause, 

 that cause should as far as possible be removed. We must mention that sulphide 

 of calcium occasionally fails, and in the deep-seated boils resulting from diabetes 

 it usually does no good. 



The sulphurous waters of Harrogate are often resorted to for the cure of 

 boils. They contain sulphuretted hydrogen; the gas into which the sulphide of 

 calcium is converted when taken into the system. The milder springs, such as 

 the Mild Montpelier Well, usually prove most efficacious. 



Belladonna, which is so serviceable when applied locally, often does good when 

 taken internally. Of course the belladonna liniment is not intended for internal 

 administration. The tincture of belladonna is for this purpose the right preparation. 

 The dose is two drops every two hours in a little water. This is equivalent to two 

 tea-spoonfuls of the belladonna mixture (Pr. 39). It does most good when ad- 

 ministered in the early stages, before matter has formed. When there is matter the 

 sulphide of calcium is much to be preferred. 



A very good local treatment for boils consists in the application of flexible 

 collodion, which should be painted over the part with a brush. This is applicable 

 only to boils which have not yet burst. It is desirable to apply fresh coatings of 

 collodion over the old ones, allowing them to remain until the boil has dried up 

 and the sore place completely disappeared. This treatment has also the advan- 

 tage of allaying the great irritation which often accompanies the early stage of 

 boils. 



We are told on good authority that, in a certain limited number of cases, yeast 

 taken fasting in table-spoonful doses three times a day does good. It is added that 

 its use need not be continued longer than a fortnight or three weeks. We have had 

 no experience of this method of treatment, but if we could not cure the boil with 

 sulphide of calcium in a very much shorter time than that, we should be ashamed of 

 ourselves. In some very obstinate cases it might be worth trying. 



