Alumina - Skin symptoms - Kent Lectures

SKIN

Skin

The eruptions itch worse in the warmth of the bed. The skin itches, even when there is no eruption, when becoming warm in bed, so that he scratches until the skin bleeds. This presents an idea as to eruptions that you will have to consider. A patient comes to you covered with crusts, and he says

"When I get warm at night I have to scratch, and I scratch until the skin bleeds."

Now in Alumina it is very important to find out whether these crusts were produced by the scratching or whether the eruption, came out as an itching eruption, for in Alumina in the beginning there is no eruption, but he scratches until the skin is off and then come the crusts.

You must here prescribe not for the eruption, but for the itching of the skin without eruption. Now in Mezereum ^Mezereum, Arsenicum Album ^Arsenicum, Dolichos Pruriens ^Dolichos and Alumina the skin itches and he scratches until it bleeds, and then he gets relief.

Of course after this there is an apparent eruption because crusts form. As soon as the healing begins the itching begins, and he is only relieved when the skin is raw. With the bleeding moisture of the skin there is relief of the itching.

Now some of the books do not make the distinction between itching without eruption and itching with eruption, and hence mostly all young, doctors get to thinking that itching of the skin must always be associated with eruption, and make a mistake in figuring out what kind of an eruption it is.

The skin thickens and indurates and ulcerates, and there are indurations under the ulcers. There is a very sluggish condition of both mucous membrane and skin with a tendency to induration.

Thickening of the mucous membrane will be found anywhere; after the thickening come little ulcerations, and in the course of time indurations are formed at the base of the ulcers. The same thing is true of the skin. Dryness and burning through everything and may be said of all the mucous membranes and the skin in general.

Induration here and there so that it favors lupus and epithelioma in one who is subject to these swellings and eruptions.

Alumina and Alumen ^Alumen, like Arsenicum Album ^Ars., Lachesis ^Lach., Sulphur ^Sulph. and, Conium Mac ^Conium, are medicines that relate to these troubles. Some of these have made brilliant cures where there is infiltration.

Upon the skin of the face and other parts of the body there is crawling Itching especially when getting warm. Sensation of tension. Peculiar sensation about the face and other parts not covered by clothing, a sensation of dried white of egg on the face, of dried blood or cobweb on the face.

If you have ever been going through a place where there are cobwebs and a little cobweb has strung across your face you will know what a peculiar sensation of crawling it produces, and you cannot leave it alone until it is removed.

That sensation particularly belongs to Alumina, Borax ^Borax, Bar. c.

Little, crawlings and creepings in the skin. Itching of the face. These symptoms are so irritating that the patient will sit and rub his face all the time.

You will think that he is nervous. He has the appearance of being nervous as he sits rubbing the back of his hands. It is well to find out whether he does this because he cannot keep his hands still or because of the itching. Because of this itching sensation in the face he carries the hand to the face as though to brush away something.

"Ulcers in the fauces, spongy, secreting a yellowish brown, badly smelling pus."

When we come to the skin we find that it takes on a similar state of affairs. The patient is subject to all sorts of eruptions. The skin withers, becomes dry and is subject to eruptions, thickening, indurations, ulcerations, cracking and bleeding.

The skin along the shin bone is rough, ragged and itching. It has been said that dry weather and dry, cold weather increase the complaints of Alumina, and that wet weather sometimes ameliorates.

Perspiration

A striking feature of the remedy is the chronic dryness of the skin. Sweat is rare and scant.

Alumina is not especially suitable for this copious, exhaustive sweats. It is the very opposite of Calc Carb ^Calcarea, which sweats copiously, but Alumina, with spinal and paralytic affections, is tired out from exertion, very exhausted, but does not sweat.

Pile on the covers to make him sweat if you will, but he only gets hot and itching and does not sweat.

Scanty sweat. Entire inability to sweat. Chronic dryness of skin with fissures. The skin becomes worn and ragged and fissured from its dryness. Great dryness of the thick skin over the back of the hands, and in cold weather the hands become cold and discolored.