Improvements in Preparations for Treating Skin Diseases.
Year: 1886

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Preparations for Treating Skin Diseases.
I HENRY VALENTINE KNAGGS of 189 Camden Road in the county of Middlesex,
practising as a Physician and Surgeon, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is a method of treating skin diseases, the principle of
which is the same whether the said skin disease be trivial or severe, and whether
accompanied or not by a discharge, namely to secure rest and protect the parts from
the atmosphere, in order that they may heal. The said principle is effected in severe
skin diseases which are accompanied by a thin watery discharge by causing the pre-
paration to become intimately blended with such discharge in such a manner as to
assist nature in forming a film, crust, or covering which is to perform a function
similar to that performed by a scab, the curative function of such film, crust, or
covering being assisted if required by the presence of healing medicaments. In the
trivial cases which are not accompanied by a discharge the formation of this film
crust or covering is not required. And my invention consists in utilizing the
emulsifying properties of gums so as to incorporate an ointment basis, or an ointment,
with a Boracic Acid Solution or Lotion, the emulsion thus produced when applied
externally has properties differing from either the said ointment basis, ointment, or
lotion, when used singly.
Supposing Soft Paraffine to be the ointment basis selected for making one of the
or other
above mentioned emulsions, 1 place this substance in a warmed mortar
suitable receptacle so as to melt the said soft Paraffine, a small quantity of gum (I
prefer powdered gum Acacia) is now added and the two ingredients are thoroughly
incorporated, a little hot water is then added and stirred in until the whole is properly
emulsified. To this I now add and mix in a sufficient quantity of a saturated solution
of Boracic Acid, or Boracic Acid Lotion so as to bring the preparation to a suitable
consistence, and this serves the twofold purpose of preventing decomposition of the
gum and also of beneficially influencing the skin disease for which it is used.
To the above mentioned emulsion may be added any of the well known medica-
ments such as Bismuth Trisnitrate, Flowers of Sulphur, Perchloride of Mercury or

page_text: others, according to the disease to be treated, or if not required the said emulsion may
be applied without the aid of such medicaments.
I may add that the proportional quantity of Boracic Acid found to be essential to
the successful use of the said preparations is larger than would be usually employed
for preserving emulsions to be taken internally.
Also that the American Vaseline and especially the white vaseline which are best
adapted for internal administration, are unsuited to these preparations being of too
solid a character.
Animal and vegetable fats and oils, such as are used for preparing emulsions for
internal use are inferior for this purpose owing to their tendency to decompose and
become rancid.
I prefer to employ for my external emulsions one of the cheaper kinds of mineral
fat such as Paraffine Molle or Soft Paraffine, Petrolatum and the like.
If an ointment be employed in the preparation of the emulsion instead of the
ointment basis above referred to, the process of making the emulsion would not differ
from the foregoing.
211
T
W. SPENCE & SON,
8, Quality Court,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: I HENRY VALENTINE KNAGGS of 189 Camden Road in the County of Middlesex,
practising as a Physician and Surgeon, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of my invention is a-method of treating to obtain an emulsion for the treat-
ment of skin diseases the-principle of which is the same whether the said skin diseases
be trivial or severe, and whether accompanied or not by a discharge. namely, to This
emulsion will secure rest and protect the parts from the atmosphere in order that
they may heal. The said principle is effected in the In cases of severe skin diseases
which are accompanied by a thin watery discharge by causing the preparation to
becomes intimately blended with such discharge in such a manner as to assist naturo
in forming a film crust or covering which is to perform a function similar to that
performed by a healthy scab, the curative function of such film crust or covering
being assisted if required by the presence of healing medicaments, such as are ordinarily
employed for purposes such as those referred to.
In the trivial cases which are not accompanied by a discharge the formation of this
film crust or covering is not required.
And my invention consists in utilizing the emulsifying properties of gums so
ne to incorporate an ointment basis, or an ointment with a an emulsion composed
of mineral fat Boraic Acid Solution-or-Lotion, the emulsion thus produced when
upplied-externally has properties-differing from either the caid ointment-busis,
ointment or lotion when used singly water and a vegetable gum in the proportions
substantially as hereinafter set forth.
Supposing I find that I can use with advantage Soft Paraffine to-be as the ointment
basis selected for making one of the above mentioned emulsions I place this substance
the Paraffine in a warmed moriar or other suitable receptacle so as to melt the
said Soft Paraffine, it, a small quantity of gum (I prefer powdered gum Acacia)
is now added and the two ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. A little hot water
is then added and stirred in until the whole is properly emulsified. To this I now add
and mix in a sufficient quantity of a saturated solution of Boracic Acid or Boracic Acid
lotion so as to bring the preparation to a suitable consistence and this serves the twofold
purpose of preventing decomposition of the gum and also of beneficially influencing
the skin disease for which it is used.
An average emulsion would may advantageously be composed as follows i.e. one
ounce of the completed emulsion would contain half an ounce of Soft Paraffine and
S grains of Boracic Acid in solution and about 80 grains of powdered gum acacia.
But these proportions may be varied so as to make a thicker or a more liquid emulsion
as required.
To the above mentioned emulsion may be added any of the well known medica-
ments such as Bismuth subnitrate, Flowers of Sulphur, Perchloride of Mercury

page_text: Salicylic Acid, Acetic Acid, Gelatine or others according to the disease to be treated,
or if not required the said emulsion may be applied without the aid of such
medicaments.
I may add that the proportional quantity of Boracic Acid found to be essential
to the successful use of the said preparations is larger than would be usually employed
for preserving emulsions to be taken internally.
In the preparation of the emulsions for external use I prefer to employ one of the
cheaper kinds of mineral fat such as Paraffine Molle, or Soft Paraffine Petrolatum
and the like, but I wish it to be understood that could also in some cases employ
Vaseline, when of a suitable semifluid consistence. While many kinds of vegetable
and animal oily substances could also be used as the basis of the said emulsions,
though from their physical character or tendency to become rancid they do not prove
as a rule as-eligible for the purpose.
There are however a few-enses in which the said tendency to rancidity of such
emulsions would be desirable to set-up a little irritation and thereby promote the eure
of the disense:
If an ointment be employed in the preparation of the emulsion instead of the
ointment basis above referred to, the process of making the emulsion would-not-differ
from the foregoing.
I may further remark that in those trivial cases of skin eruptions which are not
accompanied by a discharge the formation of any visible film crust or covering, is not
as a rule required to be artificially produced or aided by my applications.
When the above mentioned emulsions are required to be kept for some considerable
time (especially in hot climates) it may be advisable to use Boracic Acid in powder
(and with or without ordinary medicaments) instead of the lotion or solution, and when
prepared in this manner the said emulsions can be dried by heat or by other suitable
incans; in this way a cake or film is produced and can be kept in bottles or tins,
requiring merely the addition of water to make the emulsion ready for use.
It is found that these emulsions are useful in skin diseases of animals as well as in
those of human beings.
By the use of applications as above described I am enabled to dispense with the
dressings ordinarily required with other methods of treatment.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,
The employment of the emulsifying properties of gums so as to form with either
ointments or oily substances and lotions un-emulsion for external use in skin diseases,
and-in which emulsions-any known medicaments may be incorporated (whether such
disenses be-present in human beings or animals, and whether they be necompanied by
a-discharge or not) substantially as hereinbefore-described.
An emulsion such as is herein described and intended for the treatment of skin diseases
when made in the manner set forth.
Dated this Nineteenth day of February 1887.