SKIN AND MUCOUS MEMBRANES 149 



pneumonia), for instance, briskly rubbing the corresponding chest 

 wall with oil of mustard will produce an intense hypersemia and 

 swelling of the skin, which results in a corresponding withdrawal of 

 blood from the pleura. In the same manner, the skin may derive 

 blood from other internal organs, as the intestines, brain, kidneys. 

 In addition, the formation of antitoxins will be increased in conse- 

 quence of the stimulation of the nutrition of the body cells. 



3. Fever. The cutaneous irritants operate to reduce fever by 

 drawing a larger amount of blood to the skin and consequently 

 increasing the dissipation of heat, like digitalis. They also in- 

 crease the formation of antitoxins in the body, thereby promoting 

 the natural healing reaction in febrile diseases. By the appli- 

 cation of mustard spirit in contagious pneumonia, for example, 

 not only is a derivative action obtained but the temperature is also 

 considerably reduced. At the same time, the heart-beat is slowed. 



4. Diseases due to chilling, especially rheumatic colic. The 

 cutaneous irritants (turpentine oil, spirit of camphor) operate in 

 these cases like the diaphoretics, stimulating the evaporation from 

 the skin and regulating the disturbed distribution of the blood 

 (hypersemia of the central organs, anaemia of the skin). 



5. Relaxation and paralysis of the gastric and intestinal mus- 

 culature. The peristaltic movements of the stomach and intes- 

 tines may be stimulated reflexly by irritation of the sensory 

 nerves of the skin. The epispastics are therefore very valuable 

 peristaltics in atony and paresis of the gastro-intestinal wall, par- 

 ticularly in the course of constipation colic, tympanites and chronic 

 gastro-intestinal catarrh. 



6. Spinal paralyses (lumbar weakness, lumbar paralysis). 

 The stronger cutaneous irritants act here partly as stimulants to 

 the paralyzed nervous system and partly as derivatives. For the 

 same reasons, they may also be employed in cerebral and periph- 

 eral paralyses. In other cases, according to the principles of 

 counter-irritation, the epispastics will depress a pathologically 

 increased nervous activity (hypersesthesia). 



7. Diseases of the kidneys. Because of the ability of the skin 

 to assume in a compensatory way the functions of the kidneys, 



