SYMPTOMS. The symptoms of an Impetigo are very few, and almost confined to a little itching, which makes the infant uneafy, and obliged to raise his hands very frequently to the part affected, which he doth fometimes excoriate and draw a little blood. Nurses imagine the diforder to be contagious, therefore they take vaft pains to prevent its communication: but I don't think that it is communicable, if the humours be not very acrid.

DIAGNOSTICSs. Nothing is more palpable, than the existence of an Impetigo; for as often as you obferve the chin of a child, in the above circumftances, affected with obftinate fmall tumours, and a fucceeding scab frequently falling off, and still returning and multiplying, you may conclude the disorder is the ignis volaticus.

PROGNOSTICS. This diforder is abfolutely void of danger, if the patient be not very much neglected or ill-treated; and the evil is easily removed by a proper method.

CURE. If the patient's age can bear it, let him be first treated with the general remedies, fuch as bleeding, purging, and medicines

E 4

dicines proper to purify the blood, as diluting with whey, &c. and purging now. and then, that by this means the fource of the evil may be removed, before the use of topics, which contribute to repell it; though if the disorder be very flight and fuperficial, they may be applied without any internal remedies.

The topics employed here are the fame with those ordered in all other impetiginous cafes. A folution of common falt in water, may be first applied; for it deterges and dries the exulceration. If this proves ineffectual, let there be a decoction made of the roots of the fharp pointed dock, or common dock, in fimple water, or, to render it more efficacious, in vinegar. If the decoction be made of the latter, it will irritate fo much, that the patient can hardly bear it, if it be not prudently and gradually administer'd, till he becomes accustomed to it. If this is ftill infufficient, proceed farther, and prescribe a folution of gum Ara-· bic, or cherry-tree gum, in vinegar; or, if neceffary, order a mixture of flowers of fulphur and lemon-juice, which fhould be intimately blended and beat up together in a

mortar.

་

mortar. If a more powerful remedy is still requifite, employ the oil of tartar per deliquium. If the infant be very young and tender, let this oil be diluted with a fufficient quantity of water. The oil of paper or corn is also fuccessfully employed on the fame occafion; both are made by setting them on fire, and keeping them very closely betwixt two plates, or other veffels, whilst they burn. The oils which are exhaled, are collected in fmall drops on the upper veffel. These oils, particularly that of paper, are very deterfive and deficcative. If you are ftill obliged to have recourse to more powerful remedies, you may take of common pomatum a sufficient quantity; fo that to every twenty grains of the pomatum, you add one of red præcipitate, you'll have a very strong remedy. I have made this gradation of remedies, from the weaker always proceeding to the ftronger, in order to give you an idea of the phyfician's conduct, which should be always fo prudent, as not to precipitate the cure, by having recourse, at first fight, to the most powerful remedies, whilst more gentle ones may not only cure the patient, but do it without danger

of

of which the most powerful medicaments are not always void. Moreover this Impetigo is like a natural iffue, intended to disburden. the body of its fuperfluous noxious humours, which if suddenly stopped by the foregoing remedies, may have very bad confequences.

I cannot make an end of this cure without mentioning of a particular remedy, which, in the eyes of fome, may seem to be a very odd and prepofterous one; yet I have seen it produce furprizing effects in the cure of an Impetigo. It is very common in Languedoc, where the good women frequently make use of it. This confifts in ftriking fire by a steel and flint, fo that the sparkles may fall on the part affected. From what to derive the effect of this remedy, I know not, if it be not owing to the constriction of the fibres of the part through the impreffions made thereon by the fire, whereby the ftagnant humours are expreffed, and the cause of the evil removed just as it happens by immerfing suddenly a ftrained member in cold water, which fo conftricts the fibres, that an inflammation, or other fwelling, is prevented. But I imagine,

;

gine, that the first institution of this remedy is owing to the analogy, which these ignorant perfons thought to have been betwixt this fire and the diforder, which they called ignis volaticus: from whence we may conclude, that feveral of the most efficaci ous specific remedies, have and may owe their discovery to meer chance.

CHA P. IV.

Of the INTERTRIGO.

WE find neither name nor description of

this disorder in the Greek writers.

The Latins call it Intertrigo, as if it were a fuperficial rupture, or excoriation of the fkin from scratching.

The Intertrigo owes its rife to three cau→ fes, 1. The fordid and foul treatment of the child by wallowing in his excrements, which at length excoriate him, especially when his cloths are rarely changed: this caufe is very common. 2. Though his cloths be frequently changed, yet if they be not put into a lie or lixivium, and well washed, they will be fo hard and coarse, being still

im