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ECZEMA. (Humid Tetter-Salt Rheum-Dry Tetter). Definition

Categories: Diseases of The Skin

Eczema is an
inflammatory disease of the skin, characterized at its commencement by

redness, pimples, vesicles, pustules and their combinations, with itching

and burning. It terminates in a watery or pus-like discharge with the

formation of crusts or scaling.



Varieties. There are many varieties, red, scaly, fissured, watery looking

and hard skin.



Symptoms. Itching is almost always a sy
ptom of this disease. There is

more or less pouring out of liquid (serum). The dry, scaly type, and the

weeping type, may alternate with each other. There are six cardinal

symptoms; inflammation, itching, moisture, crusting, infiltration (liquid

filling of the tissues), fissuring or cracking. Dr. Fox says that nearly

one-third of all skin diseases are eczema in some of its stages or

varieties. In one kind there is red spot (macule). The skin is dry, of a

bright or dull red color, with intense itching or burning, more or less

watery swelling in the acute stage. In the chronic stage, the skin becomes

thick and covered with fine dry scales, usually in the face (Eczema

Erythematosum).



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