28] SC A
- ometime* half, or a whole inch in
thickness, spreading gradually over the whole head. Causes. — This malignant erup- tion often arises from uncleanli- i>ess, injpropcr or coarse food ; but more frequentiy from the conta- minatetl humours a( wet-nurses. Cure. — ^I'he prindp>al attention should be direfted to the removal of the diseased parts, either by shaving or cutting off the hair, or by applying an adhesive plaster, made of equal parts of bees-wax, pitch, and mutton-suet. After re. moving this detergent application, it will be necessary to wash the head with sub-tepid soap-water ; to'plungc and cleanse the whole body in a lukewarm bath, fre- quently ; and, in every respect to observe a very moderate and wholesome diet : hence salt-meat, pickles, bacon, pork, and even fish, ■will be in)proper. At the same time, the bowels should be regu- lated by the mildest laxatives; such as a fc w grains of rliubarb, with a dram of cream of tartar. — Numer- ous and whimsical remedies have been employed in this complaint, ■with various degrees of success ; but we shall state only such as may be resorted to with safety.— Ot this description is the Sharp Dock CRiimt'X acutus, L.) which may with aavanlage be used in de- coitions, both. externally (with the addition of soap converted into a lather) and iuiernally as a diet- drink ; for a concentrated extradt of this medicinal plant, if taken in doses of one or two tea-spoonfuls roi.xed with honey or treacle, not only operates by the urinary pas- sages, but also promotes evacua- tions by stool. — ^'I'hc leaves of the Common Cdts-footfTussilago Far- fara, L.), either alone, or in com- SC A binatlon with the Sharp Dock, mar be given with equal benefit. — It would disgrace the healing art, to relate the various and absurd re- medies that have strenuously been recommended b}' medical writers, for the cure of the scald-head : hence we sliall observe, that the most melancholy effe6ts have often followed the use of repellent plas- ters and ointments, such as loss of sight, deafness, palsy, emaciation, or malignant eruptions and ulcers in other parts of the body. If die treatment before suggest- ed, prove unavailing, it may be concluded that the disease proceeds from an hereditary taint, and re- quires more aftive remedies ,: for instance, mercurials, for the pre- scription of which, a professional man ought to be consulted. — In young infants, however, it is fre- quently cured by changing the nurse, or weaning the child, and removing it from a moist or marshy, to a dry and airy situation ; be- cause moisture, in our opinion, is one of the causes predisposing chil- dren to this malady. — Should the itching of the head become very troublesome, it may generally be allayed by gently rubbing the spot with equal parts of sweet-almond- oil, and the juice expressed from the leaves of the Common Bur- dock, previously simmered toge- ther over a moderate fire, till they become intimately blended into a soapy liniment, on adding a few grains of pearl-a.sh. SCAMMONY, a concrete gtim- my-resinous juice obtained from the roots of the Convolvulus Scant' mania, or Syrian Bindweed, an exotic plant, growing in Asiatic Turkey. — ^The best Scammony is imported from Aleppo, in light, sjwngy, friable masses, of a shining blackiaU
