Essentials of Diseases of the Skin Including the Syphilodermata Arranged in the Form of Questions and Answers Prepared Especially for Students of Medicine

Excerpt

The symptoms of cutaneous disease may be objective, subjective or both; and in some diseases, also, there may be systemic disturbance.

What do you mean by objective symptoms?

Those symptoms visible to the eye or touch.

What do you understand by subjective symptoms?

Those which relate to sensation, such as itching, tingling, burning, pain, tenderness, heat, anæsthesia, and hyperæsthesia.

What do you mean by systemic symptoms?

Those general symptoms, slight or profound, which are sometimes associated, primarily or secondarily, with the cutaneous disease, as, for example, the systemic disturbance in leprosy, pemphigus, and purpura hemorrhagica.

Into what two classes of lesions are the objective symptoms commonly divided?

Primary (or elementary), and

Secondary (or consecutive).

Primary Lesions.

What are primary lesions?

Those objective lesions with which cutaneous diseases begin. They may continue as such or may undergo modification, passing into the secondary or consecutive lesions.

Enumerate the primary lesions.

Macules, papules, tubercles, wheals, tumors, vesicles, blebs and pustules.

What are macules (maculæ)?

Variously-sized, shaped and tinted spots and discolorations, without elevation or depression; as, for example, freckles, spots of purpura, macules of cutaneous syphilis.

What are papules (papulæ)?

Small, circumscribed, solid elevations, rarely exceeding the size of a split-pea, and usually superficially seated; as, for example, the papules of eczema, of acne, and of cutaneous syphilis.

What are tubercles (tubercula)?

Circumscribed, solid elevations, commonly pea-sized and usually deep-seated; as, for example, the tubercles of syphilis, of leprosy, and of lupus.

What are wheals (pomphi)?

Variously-sized and shaped, whitish, pinkish or reddish elevations, of an evanescent character; as, for example, the lesions of urticaria, the lesions produced by the bite of a mosquito or by the sting of a nettle.

What are tumors (tumores)?

Soft or firm elevations, usually large and prominent, and having their seat in the corium and subcutaneous tissue; as, for example, sebaceous tumors, gummata, and the lesions of fibroma.

What are vesicles (vesiculæ)?

Pin-head to pea-sized, circumscribed epidermal elevations, containing serous fluid; as, for example, the so-called fever-blisters, the lesions of herpes zoster, and of vesicular eczema.

What are blebs (bullæ)?

Rounded or irregularly-shaped, pea to egg-sized epidermic elevations, with fluid contents; in short, they are essentially the same as vesicles and pustules except as to size; as, for example, the blebs of pemphigus, rhus poisoning, and syphilis.

What are pustules (pustulæ)?

Circumscribed epidermic elevations containing pus; as, for example, the pustules of acne, of impetigo, and of sycosis.

What are secondary lesions?

Those lesions resulting from accidental or natural change, modification or termination of the primary lesions.

Enumerate the secondary lesions.

Scales, crusts, excoriations, fissures, ulcers, scars and stains.

What are scales (squamæ)?

Dry, laminated, epidermal exfoliations; as, for example, the scales of psoriasis, ichthyosis, and eczema....