Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-08-22

Treat them when Diseased.
a Fair Skin and Luxuriant Tresscs.
the Secret of Beauty.
Some of the TOrtures Inflicted by
Skin and Scalp Diseases.
4 Valuable Treatise, by NJ. l.. JOS
>eIyn, VI. d.. of New York.
Apart from the suffering ngcaused 10y skin
diseases. their influence on the happiness
of those To whom delicate and pearly
complexion is the NEAREST wish Of their
lives is paramount to all others No lady
afflicted with cutaneous eruptions, or loss
Of hair, will deny that, to obtain fair
skin and luxuriant tresses, she would
gladly exchange the designations that
now mar her otherwise handsome face,
hands. or hair for other diseases of great
er severity-even danger-coulI their ex-
istence he concealed from the public eye.
There is something r,'pulsive about a face
covered with humor and all the grace of
manner and brilliant powers Of conycrsa-
ton can scarcely remove the impression
produced on one who witnesses it. 1t is
remembered when more important and
worthy subjects are forgotten. Many an
estimablc ladv's life has been emhittered
by cutaneous affections She imagines
that every one sees and comments upon
her looks. She avoids society and public
places. and endeavors to hide her misery
in seclusion Here the struggle to i'm
prove her appearance is renewed. No
remedy is too repulsive or dangerous to
he used Arsenic is devoured III large
quantities. mercury is taken internally
and applied externally, until the teeth
rattle in their loosened sockets, and the
system groans beneath the load ofpuisons
it is obliged to carry.
Ii such be the feelings Of one afflicted
with slight skin blemishes. what must he
the condition of those suffering from salt
rheum, tetter, ringworm, pemphigus,
psoriasis. leprosy. hchen, prurigo, and
scald head? No pen can fully describe
the tortures they endure. Death i'll many
cases might be considered ablessing. The
burning heat, Inflammation, and itching
nearly impel the sufferer to do violence to
himself III order to end his sufferings. |
have seen patients tear their flesh with
their nails until the blood flowed in
streams. Others have told me that they
could cut the flesh from their limbs, so
great was the agony they endured.
With view To impart some useful i'll
formation un the construction and preser-
>.:iion Of the skin, scalp. and hair, and
tLa proper treatment of them when dis
eascd, have here condensed To popular
form such Information as is most desired.
THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE SKIN.
The skin is composed Of two layers,
which may be separated from each other
ly the action of n blister. The thin por-
ton, which Is raised up by the blister, is
called the scarf skin, the cHticic or the
cpid.rmiS +: that which remains in con-
nection with the body is the ScHSitirt
sLiH. the cutis, the derHia, or the true
skin. Each has separate duties 10 per
form. The scarf skin Is horny and insen-
the more sensitive skin under it. Were
the scarf skin taken off, We could not bear
To have anything touch us The dci'hid
or true skin and its glands. oil tubes, etc,
are the seat of all cntaneous diseases
These may he separated into four great
divisions, viz, diseases of the true skin, |
diseases of the sweat glands and tubes,
diseases of the oil glands and tubes. and |
. l.,,-
THE OIL AND SWEAT GLANDS.
That the skinmay be pliable and healthy |
1t is necessary to have it oiled every day, |
and for this the Creator has wisely pro-
vided by placing in the true skin small |
glands and tubes, whose Office 1T is to pre-
pare and pour ont upon the surface the
proper amount of oil. On some parts of |
the body they do not exist, but are abund- |
ant on the face, nose ears, head, eyelids,
etc. They produce the wax of the ears,
and ON the head they open iutothe sheath
Of the hair. and furnish it with natures
own hair oil or pomade When the skin
is healthy, these little vessels are always
at work, and constantly responding to the
demands made upon them. Consequent
ly no person should bej afraid to wash
thoroughly every day with soap and wa
ter, lest, as the Boston Medical journal
once taught, the skin be injured by hay
ing the oil removed from It,
FREQUENT wAsHINGs WITH PURE SOAP
free from caustic alkalies and 1 have
something to say further ON about soup
that will be Of interest to all who desire
Ia preserve the skin and scalp i'll health
or to properly treat them when diseased -
and lukewarm water, followed by brisk |
rubbing with a coarse towel, will do more
to preserve the healthy action of the oil |
glands and tubes, upon which depends a
clear and wholesome complexion, then all
the cosmetics in the world Soimportant
is the free and perfect action of the sweat
and fat or oil glands IN the preservation
of the general health, us well as the spe-
cial condition of the skin, that particular
attention to them will be rewarded by in
creased physical health
They discharge upon the surface of the
body about two and one half pounds of
matter per day, and their Importance in
the purificatiOn OF the blood and fluids Of
the body Is SO great that were they closed
hv AN Impervious coating, like rubber or
oiled silk, death would soon ensue
The daily occupation Of many, want OF
cleanliness i'll others. and the inheritance
of a sluggish skin, pave the way for nu-
merous diseases of these vessels and
tubes. Their contents, instead OF flowing
freely, become hard and impacted. and
the vessels are not emptied Hence the
origin of many diseascs
Sometimes the action of the Gland is
too great and oil is poured out 30 pro-
fauaa n. Al
At other times there is so little that the
skin is dry and hard. In the hardened
oily matter that constitutes oome,l lones are
found small animals, which Erasmus
Wilson, the great authority, calls 'the
animal "f the oily product of the skin.
THE GREAT SKIN AND SCALP DISEASES.
But bad as are minor forms Of akin dis
cases, they sink ntn nsigmilicancc when
compared with the great -kin and scalp
diseases with which thousands are afllict
ed during their whole lives. That the
reader may know more about them, the
principal affections are here uamel, emit
ting such ~ arc synptoms OF cpnstItu-
fional diseases, like measles, rash etc.
The most important are salt rheum, or
eczema, tettcr, ringworm, psoriasis, I'M
petigo, leprosy, lichen, prurigo, hnrbcr's
itch, Jacksons itch, haker's Itch, ground
itrn, sGald mead, and dandruff.
Towering above all others in extent, in
duration, in suffering, is
ECZEMA,
commonly called salt rheVIh. W,lson Iii
: ,dea 1t into twelve species, and others
INTO many more but it is sufficiently
clear to the average reader and will br
recognized by its small watery blister,
about the size of IA pinhead, wherever
seen. Prurign, impetigo, and psoriasis
are but little behind sait rheum in the
suffering they cause Scald head is an
other obstinate affection, defying all rene
dies, destroying the hair, and producing
Preat misery and suffering The scnIp
like the skin, Is subject to salt rheum.
tetter, dandruli, and other eruptive and
scnly diseases, which generally destroy
the hair follicles and produce permanent