The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-01-17

SIMPLE HERPES AND SHINGLES
 Herpes, otherwise called fever blisters" or "cold sores," may oc- cur as simple herpes, trial size or as herpes zoster commonly known as shingles" which usually comes in hospital size.
 Probaly all cases of herpes are caused by a virus. In cases of herpes roster the virus is either identical with or closely related to the virus that causes chicken-pox.
 In simple herpes about the face, mouth or lip there is usually ma laise, some fever or chilliness and vague aches and pains resembling the onset of various acute infectious diseases. Probably this explains the popular term ''cold sores" The con- stitutional symptoms may precede the eruption day or more. In roster (Shingles) the constitutional symptoms often precede the erup- tion three of four days.
 Simple herpes begins with slight | irritation or burning or itching, then an eruption of small vesicles, pinpoint to pinhead size, filled with clear fluid, on swollen, reddened area. The vesicles dry up and leave brownish crusts which drop off in the course of ten days or two weeks, with no scarring. Simple herpes has been inoculated from one person to another. It may be mistaken for Impetigo, which will be discussed later. Herpes about the face or lip, as well as elsewhere, may be mis- taken for chancroid or chancre.
 Frequent application of spirits of camphor or perfumed spirit (cologne water), the cologne water may have 10 grains of alum in the ounce, or one grain of zinc sulphate in the ounce, is good treatment in the early stage. Avoid oils, salves or paSteS. When the lesion reaches the crusting or ulcerating stage frequent application of a non-irritating an- tiseptic powder such as thymol iodid is desirable. If herpes of the | lip becomes cracked and slow to heal, dry it as thoroughly as pos sible, hold the split lip edges to- gather with thumb and finger of one hand while you apply flexible collodion. Of course the collodion will not adhere to the moist surface of the lip, but it will keep the outer (skin) edges of the Assure or crack together, and so favor healing. This dressing must be reapplied several times day. The less the lip moves the more promptly it heals. Women, naturally, have the greatest trouble getting cured of herpes. This is merely a statistic-I have always liked women and I like 'em still. Foster, shingles, or Zona (mean- ing band or girdle), is herpses breaking out over an area or skin supplied by a sensory nerve, most frequently an intercoStal nerve (around the chest, hence the idea of girdle), but not rarely the supra orbital Cover the eye sockeD nerve. There is no foundation for the pop ular notion that if shingles extends entirely around the trunk it will be fatal. It is just more painful than a group of herpetic veSicles on one side. In any case pain of neuralgia i character precedes the eruption and sometimes leads to false diagnosis of pleurisy or even appendicitis. In elderly persons the pain persists sometimes for weeks, even after the skin rash has healed. Painting the vesicles with flexible collodion is good treatment in the early stage If they are broken, apply cover ing of equal parts of boric acid, talcum and cornstarch powder and thick layer of cotton and snug bandage. Medical care is necessary | if further treatment is required.