Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1881-11-03

81 observe you suffer from scirrhea
and consequent alopecia, said physi-
clan to the writer.
mo, sir | am only growing bald. y
"Well," he said, it's the same thing.
l will gladly tell you the result of my
studies upon the subject, for fancy
that | am even with science on this top
ic. BY the time | was 80 was threat
ened with shiny pate. For some
years had taken arsenic internally, had
used stimulating washes and oily appli-
cations, containing i'll one case corrosive
sublimate and in the other quinine or
tannin, but / discovered no appreciable
effect either upon the formation of
scales or the falling out of hair. Then
L became excited over the discovery
made by French physician, which was
to the effect that five per cent solution
of chloral hydrat0 was a sovereign rem
edy, / used the chloral wash assldu-
ously for about three months, but the
difficulty increased more than ever, and
then became disgusted with the var
ious therapeutic measures which had
been so highly lauded.
"Next, in Hebra's classical treatise on
diseases of the skin, came across an
article 10y Kaposi on alopecia. He
recommended the use of an agent which,
mildly stimulating, removed the scales
and thoroughly cleansed the scalp.
This agent Is the German Schnierseife
or soft soap, or the French sGVOn cert,
in an alcoholic solution. The soap is
best known as the German green soap,
and it is now imported III large quanti-
ties. 1t is made of sixteen parts of
olive oil, six parts of caustic potash and
water, and it is made green by adding
indigo. The soap, which contains an
excess of alkali, saponihes the fatty
matter of the sebaceous eXcretion, so
that it is easily removed. The alcohol
greatly assists this action and seems al
SO to have an Alternative actIon-if such
an indefinite term is excusable-upon
the glands. Although the formula is
worth fortune to patent medicine
man. will give it to gratuitously and
headed readers may get comfort out
of it. Any druggist can compound it,
and he ought not to charge over twenty
five cents for it. This is the formula:
"R. saponis virids (Germ.) alcoholis, of each
two ounces solve Ultra, ct adde of layandule git,
xx-XXv.
"The soap has a disagreeable fishy
odor. and the oil OF lavender is added To
cover it up. The preparation thus COM
pounded has a rich orange or wine color,
and a pleasant odor to which the most
fastidious will hardly object. Now, I
don't mean to say that this is going to
grow hair on billiard ball. Where
alcpecia has lasted so long that the hair
bulbs have become atrophied nothing
will restore the hair on these spots, but
we can save what remains. The prepa-
ration should be used as shampoo
every morning or evening, one or two
tablespoonfuls at time. Upon the ad-
dition of water, and smart friction with
the fingers, a copious lather is produced,
After the shampooing process, which
should last about five minutes, the soap
must be washed out of the hair by the
free use of warm or cold water, and the
hair thoroughly dried by means of a
gentle friction with a soft towel. The
immediate effect experienced is disa-
agreeable tension of the scalp, as though
it were stretched too tightly over the
skull. To obviate this effect and keep
the skin from getting too dry, vaseline
should be used to anoint the scalp.
"After a daily use of the preparation
for two or three weeks the production
of scales and the falling off of the hair
will appear to have been very markedly
decreased. At first the hair comes out
in greater quantities than ever before,
and this may alarm the patient; but
this is due to the fact that large num-
Der of hairs are dead and are only re-
tanned in their follicles by the plugging
of the sheath with the accumulated Sc
baceous matter. 1t is not necessary,
although it is more convenient, to cut
the hair short during the treatment.
"Will anything restore the hairT
"I never found anything that will,
and / have devoted years to the study
of bald heads"