13. HYPERTROPHIC AND ATROPHIC AFFECTIONS


Homeopathic treatment of Hypertrophic diseases of skin like Diseases of the epithelial layer of the skin, including callosities, corns, and horns, in which the epithelial tissue is especially affected….


Under the terms hypertrophy and atrophy may be included all cases of development in excess of the normal tissues of the skin on the one hand and wasting on the other; the atrophy and hypertrophy being in each case primary conditions.

The maladies ranking under these two classes may be arranged as follows:

A. Hypertrophic diseases, comprising:- 1. Diseases of the epithelial layer of the skin, including callosities, corns, and horns, in which the epithelial tissue is especially affected. 2. Diseases involving the dermic portion, in which the true skin is affected with or without the epithelium. In some cases the papillary layer is chiefly affected, but in connection with augmented production of the epithelium also, as in ichthyosis and xeroderma. In other cases the fibro-cellular tissue of the corium proper is the special seat of change, as in the diseases termed scleroderma, keloid, fibroma, Elephantiasis Arabum, and dermatolysis. 3. Diseases seated in the vascular structures, including such growths as vascular naevi.

B. Atrophic diseases, including general wasting and senile atrophy, and local or linear atrophy, which will be incidentally noticed together with morphoea.

Hypertrophic Affections.

We will first deal in detail with hypertrophic affections. It will be understood that no reference is made in this chapter to secondary or accidental hypertrophy-the consequence of congestion or inflammatory conditions, but to those diseases in which hypertrophy is the prominent or only condition.

Corns.

These are composed of an accumulation of the cells of the horny layer, which, generally, are pressed together into a conical mass that dips deeply downwards. The papillae beneath may be enlarged, but are usually atrophied. The corn mass presses even upon the rete cells, and it also obliterates more or less the sweat glands. Corns are caused by pressure and friction; they are of two kinds-the hard ordinary corns, and soft corns. The soft corns occur between the toes, and being saturated with the secretion of the part, are moist and soft; generally there is some serosity effused under the upper layers or the bursae normally found at the parts over the joints of the toes where the corns form, enlarge and pour out fluid, which is discharged from a little central aperture.

Treatment.-The shoes or boots worn must fit the foot-neither too small nor too large. The corn may be gotten rid of by soaking it in warm water, after which the outer layers may be removed by a sharp knife, and a slice of lemon bound upon it, and worn during the night. This treatment continued for three or four nights, the corn can be removed with but little pain.

Flexible or arnicated colloid may be used as a dressing for painful soft corns.

Ringed corn plasters will protect the corns from pressure.

If the corns are inflamed and painful, a veratrum viride or arnica lotion, one part to two, may be used.

A lotion, composed as follows, applied once or twice a day with a camel’s hair brush, has been used with great success in removing corns:

Rx. Salicylic acid, drachm j.

Ext. Cannabis Ind., grs.x.

Collodion, j.

M.S. Apply as directed above.

Another excellent application is as follows:

Rx. Acid Salicylic, drachm j.

Emplast. Saponat, z3jjj.

M.f. empl. Sig.: Apply on lint.

Antimon. crud. is the principal internal remedy for hard corns, and Sulphur for the soft variety.

Dr. Berridge reports a case of soft corn between fourth and fifth toes of right foot; the corn shoots and burns; also, dull aching in outer side of right ankle extending up to hip, as cured by the internal use of Wiesbaden 200, a dose every day for fourteen days.

CALLOSITIES are merely hardened conditions of the skin produced by pressure, differing from corns rather in the fact that they are on a larger scale than by any other feature.

Hypertrophy of the Papillae and Epithelium Conjoined.

Horns.-These may be sebaceous in origin; usually, however, they are made up of hypertrophied papillae, each containing one or more vessels and being covered by epidermis; on section they have a granular texture pierced with small orifices, and when dry, numerous concentric cracks. These orifices are the sections of little blood-vessels; a clear amber-colored circular area surrounding each of the vessels, which are separated by the general granular structure of the mass, incapable in the compact part of the horn of being reduced to its ultimate original elements. The central parts of the horn are more compact and less vascular than the outside.

Verrucae, or Warts.

These are little raised tumors, sessile or pedunculated, hard, generally round, rugose, and mammillated. They are made up of coherent and enlarged papillae, each containing a loop of blood vessels, and more or less nerve tissue, especially at their base. The sessile warts, or the true hypertrophous papillae, are seen mostly on the hands in children; they may be multiple, solitary, or aggregated in clusters. They may form a flat mass or present a digitate appearance. Warts are often the result of syphilis about the anus, vulva, penis, but they may also arise from simple irritation.

Venereal warts are pinkish or reddish vascular vegetations, and occur for the most part on the genitals, preferably on the penis and labia. They may also form about the mouth and anus, in the axilla and between the toes. They are apt to grow very rapidly, and may attain considerable size. They are caused by the contact of irritating fluids, and may be either dry or moist, according to their location. They may occur in connection with gonorrhoea, but are never like the Condylomata, a sign of constitutional syphilis.

The causes of warts are unknown; they appear sometimes to be contagious. The local treatment consists in destroying the abnormal growth by caustics-the acid nitrate of mercury, caustic potash, arsenical paste, perchloride of iron, chromic acid. The smaller warts may be removed by the curved scissors, and the larger and more vascular ones by the curette, ligature or galvano-caustic wire.

Venereal warts need the strictest cleanliness. The dry ones may be treated locally by thuja or mercuric bichloride lotion. The moist ones respond best to dusting with the mercuric chloride.

Thuja externally has great reputation in removing all kinds of warts.

Moles may be removed by the topical use of the acid nitrate of mercury.

The following repertory of warts and Condylomata, prepared by Dr. Olin M.Drake, is so complete and excellent, that i transcribe it here:

Warts, confinement, following, small: Calcareac.

girls, upon young: Sepia, Sulphur, Thuja.

horses, upon: Lachesis, Thuja.

upon, about the head and ears; bell-shaped, small at the attachment and one to one-and-a-half inches long: Thuja.

imagines w. upon the body: Mez.

internal: Causticum

isolated: Calcareac., Causticum, Lyco., Natr.c.

onanists, upon: Nitr. ac., Sepia, Sulphur, Thuja.

salt, from abuse of: Natr. mur., Nit.d.s.

LOCALITY.

Anus, about: Aurum, Thuja.

Arms, upon: Ant.cr., Arsenicum, Calcareac., Causticum, Dulcamara, Ferrum ma., Lycopodium, Natr.c., Nat. sulph., Nitr.ac., Rhus tox., Sepia, Silicea, Sulphur, Thuja.

left forearm: Sulph.

bend of elbow: Calcareac.

wrist (left): Ferrumma.

Back: Nat.c.

Body: Causticum, Medor., Thuja.

Buttocks, small, scattered, flat, grayish-brown: Conium

Cheek (left): Calcareac., Sepia, Thuja.

Chest: Aurum, Calcarea c., Nit.ac.

Conjunctiva: Thuja.

cornea, warty in appearance: Silicea

Ears, behind: Calcareac., Thuja.

wart-like growths: Calcareac.

Eyeballs, sensation as though was studded with: Euphr.

Eyebrows, upon: anac., Causticum, Thuja.

Eyelids: Calcareac., Causticum, Mag.s., Nit.ac., Sulphur, Thuja.

upper: Calcareac., Mag.s., Nitr.ac.

Eyes, under: Sulph.

Face, upon: Alco., Am.m., Calcareac., Causticum, Dulcamara, Ka.bi., Ka.c., Mag.s., Natr.m., Nitr.ac., Sepia, Thuja.

Feet: Calcareac., Sulphur

soles: Sepia

Fingers: Ambra, ars., Barytac., Berberis, Calcareac., Carb.

an., Causticum, Dulcamara, Ferrum, Lac.c., Lachesis, Lyco., Nat.m., Nat. sulph., Nit.ac., Ox.ac., Palladium, Petrol., Psorinum, Ranunculus bulbosus, Rhus t., Sarsaparilla, Selenium, Sepia, Sulphur, Thuja, Verrucinum.

index finger: Causticum (right), Lyco. (left), Thuja. little finger: Causticum, Lac caninum

middle finger: Berberis, Lachesis

finger, back of: Lachesis ring finger: Nat. sulph.

back of: Dulcamara, Lachesis

side of: Calcareac., Sepia, Thuja.

tips of: Causticum, Thuja.

joints, around: Sarsaparilla

knuckles, on: Ox.ac., Palladium, Sal.

close to the nails: Causticum

rudimentary: Berberis

thumb: Lachesis, Ranunculusb., Thuja.

left hand: Psorinum

Forehead, upon: Nitr.ac.

Genitals, upon: Calcarea c., Cinnab., Eucalyp., Nit.

ac., Pho.ac., Secale c., Thuja.

upon glans penis: Nit.ac., Pho.ac., Thuja.

os uteri: Calcarea c., Nit.ac., Secale c., Thuja.

stinging and burning, when urinating: Thuja.

papilloma urethrae: Eucalyp., Thuja.

prepuce, fraenum and inner surface, bleeding when touched: Cinnab., Eucalyp.

Hands, upon back of: Arsenicum, Dulcamara, Ferrum, Nat.c., Nit.ac., Thuja.

left: Ferrumma.

right: Arsenicum

ball of the: Berberis

Melford Eugene Douglass
M.E.Douglass, MD, was a Lecturer of Dermatology in the Southern Homeopathic Medical College of Baltimore. He was the author of - Skin Diseases: Their Description, Etiology, Diagnosis and Treatment; Repertory of Tongue Symptoms; Characteristics of the Homoeopathic Materia Medica.