Treatment of sycosis by the X-ray / by Howard Fox.

  • Fox, Howard, 1873-1947.
Date:
1908
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Treatment of sycosis by the X-ray / by Howard Fox. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    [Reprinted from Medical Review of Reviews, Ne (dkirkc 2t cr>' TREATMENT OF SYCOSIS BY THE A /2,, By Hom’ard Fox, M.D., Clinical Assistant, Dernnatological Department, College of Physicians and Surgeons; Clinical Assistant, Skin and Cancer Hospital. There are a few skin diseases, and only a few, in the writer’s opinion, in which the X-ray is to be preferred to all other therapeutic meas- ures. The X-ray seems especially indicated in affections where epilation is desired, such as ringworm, favus and sycosis. It has certainly proved an exceptionally valuable agent in syco- sis, a disease so often intractable to all other methods of treatment. The case which forms the basis of this re- port was a very obstinate one of sycosis of lo years’ duration, which the writer recently pre- sented before the dermatological section of the Academy of Medicine. The patient is 33 years old, married, born in the United States, a clerk by ocupation. He suffered from measles and scarlet fever as a child. Since the attack of scarlet fever the eyelids have always been more or less red and inflamed. With the exception of the diseases of childhood above mentioned, the patient’s general health has alwa3s been excellent. The eruption first appeared 10 years ago upon the chin. It then gradually spread ,upon the left side of the cheek and neck, and within six months had attained its maximum develop- ment. In another six months -it had spread upon the opposite side of the cheek and neck until the two sides were practically symmetrical in appearance. For the following seven years the eruption varied in intensity, being at times so severe that shaving was impossible. At other times the patient was able to shave twice a week with comparative ease. The actual dis- comfort which the patient has suffered, though at times severe, has been small in comparison with the mental depression caused by the un- sightliness of the disease. The patient has often felt himself socially ostracized on account of his affliction. The subjective symptoms have consisted of burning and stinging, especially severe after shaving. Three years ago, during a second attack of measles, the eruption disap- relapsed to its former condition. With the ex- ception of this short interval the lesions never completely disappeared till X-ray treatment was begun. Two years ago the patient consulted an ex- perienced and well-known radiologist of this city. He was given 28 exposures of the X-ray within a period of four and a half weeks. At the end of this time a brilliant result had ap- parently been achieved. The hairs of the af- fected area had fallen and the skin appeared white and smooth. Two weeks later, on ac- count of a slight relapse, the physician was again consulted. A second course of X-ray treatment was begun, consisting of two to three exposures a week for a period of six weeks. At the end of this time the eruption had become much worse than it had ever been before. It had spread down upon the neck so far that a low collar could not be worn with comfort. The eruption on the cheeks had extended and a few new lesions has appeared upon the lips. The patient then gave up the X-ray in despair and returned to the other methods of treat- ment that he had formerly used, namely, epila- tion and various ointments and lotions. The lesions were even curetted a number of times. Nothing but temporar} improvement, however, ever resulted from any of these procedures. A year ago, after having previously treated the patient for a few weeks with ointments, I decided to give the X-ray one more trial, being firmly convinced of its usefulness in sycosis. I had some hesitation, however, in again trying the means that in the hands of my experi- enced colleague had apparently failed. The patient was given two treatments a week for the first two weeks. Since that time the inter- vals between the treatments have varied from 10 days to three weeks, the patient having been of necessity somewhat iregular in his visits. In all about 30 exposures have been given. A high tube has been used giving a spark gap of