New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-10-26
S'IuQrOwinR Toe Rail. -

Sometimes, in consequence of A.,
shoe, the flesh of the side of the nail os s =
great toe is pressed against the s;ds ~. WV
and upper angle or corner of the ~, saa
Now, Sir Ashley Cooper observed au
truly, that in consequence of this cor,s. ~, J,
the nail being little overIappsd Nv :"
teshy prominence, the scissors. in cr.t;.
the nail, are prevented from poino -
enough to. cut this part of tho nail oo .s
pletely, so that the angle projects in .b.-
little point, which initiates the flesh nro..ss
against it, and finally uicerates an onen;ss
into the body of the toe.
This Is further accomplished by the mn,
sure from above ON the arch of tho ~
which, being tiattened and straisbtanoa
! necessarily causes the sides to be so,oa,
| out. i''ced
The flesh, therefore, irritated and :,
famed. swells, reddens and ulcerates and
there is thin fetid discharge from tho ~,
ner OF the nail. Standing or walking i, az
1remely painful, and the pressure of sbo.
scarcely to be borne. The whole foot vb..
the irritation runs high. becomes swo1l.,
and red. and even the lymphatics SWIM.
thzie with the seat of injury. This j, caliad
os'ychia simpler.
Sometimes only one side is affected 70
so, it is generally the outside. At otbs,
times both sides of the nail, and in anna
instances both great toes, suffer from hi,
painful disease. am led to opine that bs
sides local causes already mentioned tho
constitution of the patient has sometbn,
to cay about it. operated upon getts.
man who was paralytic of the whole sida
OF the body and of speech, who had opyeIn
simpler in both great toes.
To make this more forcible was called
to the bedside of young lady September
IL, 1873, whc is at present suffering undsr
paraplegia, with cataleptic attacks, and
who has not been able to wear a shoe for
two years and half; still she has oaveI;a
simpler of the right great toe nail at tho
outside. I,Only mention this fact as an eyi
dence that insufficient nutrition ia often.
times conducive to the disease that we have
been considering.
Onychia simpler is not disease that GETS
well without the assistance of the surgeon:
1t usually progresses from bad to worse, the
swelling OF the toe becomes very great, 80
much so, that Dupuytren treated case of
1t for long time for govt, a mistake, how
ever, scarcely credible.
The more the flesh swells the greater be.
comes the pressure on the toe nail. the
deeper and more extensive the liberation.
from which fungoid granulations are seen
to arise.
II you see this disease early. when the
upper end of the side of the nail is alone
engaged, you may readily stop it bv poul.
tlclng 1t simply with bread and water. at
the same time insinuating a small shred of
unit under the angle and side OF the nail.
and between it and the flesh: after IT ia
hxed In wet the lint with a solution of nj.
lrate OF silver, one drachm to the ounce,
anu II the lint remains in it need not be re-
moved tor torty-eight hours. You will then
ina the Irritation and it's consequence less.
9neu, and by renewing the application sew
ia! tlmes the disease will be cured, and to
lvold return we should caution the pa
aent When cutting his nails to cut them
'tralght across, to be- sure that there is no
projecting point at the angle. but most par.
lcularly against rounding off the the angle,
winch allows the flesh to be -essed over it
more readily. j. T. NEWMAN, MD.