Pilocarpine hydrochlorate, 7 grains.
This is to be rubbed in lightly once daily.
Any exciting application containing rum or camphorated alcohol with spirit of rosemary—and to which may be added quinine, in the proportion of 4 to 30 of either tincture of nux vomica, tincture of capsicum, or tincture of cantharides may be employed.
If the hair be very dry some almond oil or castor-oil may be applied from time to time.
Prevention through massage-exercise is nine points in the law of treatment of baldness. This should be begun in early life, at the time when the youth is developing into the more sober man, when his occipito-frontalis muscle has become more and more subordinated to his will. Massage should be performed the same way as in other regions, first the vessels farthest from the scat of trouble, and gradually approach ing the centre. It should be done at night as well as in the morning. par ticularly at night, as gravity has little. or comparatively little, chance through the day. If the scalps of men received enough exercise as the scalps of women, there should be on the vaults of their craniums a luxuriant tonsure. Cco•ge Elliott (Dominion Med. Monthly, March, 1902).
It is well to keep the hair cut short until it begins to grow again.
Universal alopecia arrested in a case by thyroid extract, 5-grain tabloids three times a day. H. R. Beevor (Brit. Med. Jour., July 13, '95).
[I cannot too strongly warn the reader against placing too great confidence in the marvelous results obtained recently in numerous dermatoscs from the thy roid treatment. The subject requires
considerable control study before these results can be accepted. L. BROCQ, Assoc. Ed., Annual, '96.] The influence of thyroid extract shown in the ease of a woman, aged 66 years, suffering from myxcedema, in whom the 2. Wash the scalp with soap and war water every morning.
3. Apply the following ointment:— Salicylic acid, 75 grains. Precipitated sulphur, drachms. Lanolin, Vaselin, of each, 1 ounce and 6 drachms.
Every evening rub in with a soft brush the following lotion:— Spirit of rosemary, 3 ounces. Cantharides tincture, drachms, or salicylic acid, 15 grains.
growth of hair during fifteen months was striking (see wood-cuts). Does not the remarkable influence of thyroid ex tract upon hair-growth suggest that the thyroid gland in its function is largely occupied with nutrition of the skin? Thomas F. Raven (Brit. Med. Jour., July 31, '97).
Syphilitic Alopecia. — The best treat ment consists in early and thorough anti syphilitic measures. Local treatment is not really necessary, but, if applied, should consist in lotions containing mer curic perchloride, 1 to 500 or 1 to 1000, or ointments containing either yellow oxide or sulphate of mercury. (Brocq.) The following treatment is recom mended by E. Besnier:— 1. Cut the hair short.
Syphilitic alopecia is easily curable by the internal use of mercury. Local appli cations are useless. Fournier (L'Union Med., Dec. 4, '90).
[Here I must differ from Fournier; local applications are valuable adjuvants. A. VAN HARLINGEN, Assoc. Ed., Annual, '92.]