The skin affections of childhood : with special reference to those of more common occurrence and their diagnosis and treatment.

  • Adamson, Horatio George.
Date:
1907
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The skin affections of childhood : with special reference to those of more common occurrence and their diagnosis and treatment. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    in childhood is the removal of disfigurement, and it is usually moles upon the face that call for interference. If small they are readily destroyed by electrolysis. In the case of a small hairy mole the removal of each hair by electrolysis is often sufficient to get rid of the deformity. The operation is done at an age when the child will readily bear the small amount of pain. It is performed in the same way as for removal of hairs in hirsuties. With a battery of from 6-8 cells, using a current of from 2-3 milliamperes only, the needle, attached to the negative pole, is introduced into the hair follicle and passed down to the root of the hair; the patient then puts one or two fingers into a glass of water, in which is the positive pole, thus closing the circuit. The current is allowed to pass for about thirty seconds. The hair papilla is destroyed and the hair is readily extracted. If, at a subsequent visit, any pigment or growth remains, this may be destroyed by electrolysis, passing the negative needle into the growth at various points, and allowing a current of 3-4 milliamperes to pass through for a few seconds. Small non-hairy moles may be treated in a similar way, and by taking care always not to destroy too much tissue at one sitting, they may be removed with hardly any subsequent scar. Flat pigmented patches may be removed by painting the pigmented area with ethylate of sodium, carefully applied by means of a match stick. After a time the black scab peels off, leaving the area free from pig- ment and without any noticeable scarring.