The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1879-02-26

Wilson, the great authority calls, the
animal of the oily products of the skin"
But bad as are grubs and worms and
DimpIes, they sink into insIgniGcance when
compared with the skin and scalp diseases
With which thousands are afflicted during
their whole lives. That the reader may
know more about them, the principal at
feetions are here named, emitting such as
are symptoms of constitutional diseases,
like measels, rash, etc. The most import
ant are salt rheum, or eczema, letter ring
worm, psoriasis, impetigo, leprosy, lichen,
purigo, BARRIERS itch acne and comedones,
scald head and dandruff.
Towering above all others in extent, in
duration, in suffering is
SALT RHEUM,
or, technically, eczema. Wilson divides it
into twelve species, aud others into many
more; but it is sufficiently clear to the
average reader. and will be recognized by
its small watery blister, about the size of
a pinhead, wherever seen. Purigo, impe-
tigo, and psoriasis are but little behind
salt rheum in the suffering they cause.
Scald head is another obstinate affection,
defying all remedies, destroying the hair
and producing great misery and suffering.
The scalp like tho skin, is subject to salt
rheuln, letter, dandruff and other eruptive
and scaly diseases, which generally de-
stroy the hair follicles and produce per-
manent badness.
THE TREATMENT
of diseases of the skin and scalp has been
centuries based upon the mistaken theory
A. Al MANA ao,,oa1 bu cODn
Of the blood. 1t is no unjust reflection
upon the medical profession to say that
its efforts 10 the cure of skins diseases
have been failure. What with mistaken
theories, poisonous remedies, and blind
adherence to methods and practices orr
ginating in ignorance and superstition,
salt rheum, scald-head and psoriasis
flourish and increase upon system shatter-
ed by the copious use, both internal and
external, OF mercury, arsenic, zinc and
lead. DR.. Wood mildly admits that the
mercurial influence does some time pro-
duce salt rheum,-a fact so we'll known
that it is recorded in most of the text books
as mercurial eczema.
BLOOD REMEDIES.
The false popular notion that every at
lection of the skin. from common pimpIe
to a salt-rheum or scald-head, must be
treated with the so called blood purifiers"
to be cured, has filled many a grave. |
do here assert, in the most positive man
ner, that the vascular, pustular and scaly
diseases above referred to cannot be cured
by any internal remedies in use by the
medical profession, and in this statement
l am supported by the lamentable failure
of those who attempt it. The fact is,
these diseases are purely local. and the
day is not far distant when it will be gen.
orally admitted by all physicians. They
have no connection with the blood. L have
known salt-rheum 70 cover the body after
undue exercise, or sudden immersion in
cold water. The true cause Of these skin
diseases must be looked for in a derange-
meut of the secretory and secretory tubes
and vessels of the skin | defy any mem
Der of any medical school OF practice to
cure salt sheum, psoriasis, or pemphigus,
or acne even, solely with internal remedies
And yet Purify the blood" is the cry of
doctors. Purify the bloodP is echoed
by Quacks aud charlataDs, until the p0pu-
lar cry, in season and out of season, is,
Blood purifiers blood puriiersl while the
seat of all the trouble, the diseased oil
glands, tubes and vessels of the skin, which
can be reached only by external treatment
are left to take care of themselves. How
much suferieg, how much misery has
been caused by this senseless and cruel
custom of the graybeards of the profession
no pen can fully portray.
In imitation of his betters, the patent
medicine man has been abroad and scat.
tered his
DOCKS" ''DANDELIoNs" AND ''sARsApA,
RILLAs"
throughout the length and breadth of The
land. Every day some new aspirant tol
| fame and fortune comes forward with bis
universal deranger and destroyer of the
intricate system Of digestion, and absorp
ton called blood purifier, which upor
analysis will be more likely to be found 1
blood p0iSOner, and the cFedulous stand
ready to swallow gallons of it at enormou:
prices, only to fbd themselves worse il
the end.
OF what are those innocent-iookini
docks" and ''dandelions. popularity call
ed blood purifiers" and alternatives" b!
the medical books, composed? The &C
tive inGredient-that is, the once-suppos
ed to cure-is either mercury or arsenic
Out OF seventeen prescriptions denominatet
Alternative" taken from q standard medi
cal work, eight contained mercury 10 th'
form of corrosive subIimate, the protoio
dide, and the blue pill, five arsenic, thre
Iiodine-all corrosive poisons. For fou
hundred years mercury has been the shee
anchor of the regular practitioner, and or
senic the main stay of the specialist.
is not to be expected that the production
of quacks end patent medicine men ar
/. any better. SO much for the internal rem
edies. While the blood is being puri6et
l(?) by the internal administration of poi
son( ?lthe good work is often FASTENED for
ward, when the subject is skin disease
by the external application Of ointment
and salves and solutions, in every cas-
containing virulent poison, Referrin
to the same standard medical work" W
find that these are directed to be prepar
ed from
CORROSIVE sUBLIMATE
mercury white precipitate (mercuryl !,
red precipitate (mercury!l) citriue ONT
ment (mercury ID, prussia acid, arsenic
zinc, sulphur, lead, cre0sote, and opium
as suits the fancy or prejudice of the ply
sician Here is the whole list 10 he ex
act order in which they are given; not on
is omitted. Verify there is a Providence
watching over US, else how could we SUI
vive such treatment This is the cours
pursued by the average practitioner an
advocated by most of the schools Of medi
cine.
But little light is being thrown upo
the darkness that has surrounded the il
tellect of the past. To few German an
French physicians and specialists we ow