ANOMALIES OF THE SWEAT SECRETION HYPERIDROSIS Excessive sweat secretion may be universal (hyperidrosis) or local (epidrosis). Quite a number of children, especially nervous ones, react to every irritation by perspiration. On the other band excessive sweating may also be caused by- heat, the sun, clothing, etc.
Excessive local hyperidrosis is found on the scalp during the first few years of life, in later years it is localized, particularly at. the hand and feet. It is frequently met with in nervous, chlorotic children in families with a nervous taint, in antemic girls at puberty, and as a con sequence of disturbed circulation (pressure of shoes, garters, etc.). When the hands or feet experience a sensation of great. cold, there occurs a partial hyperidrosis in which the sweat becomes easily decomposed, giving off an offensive odor and leading to maceration of the skin. Very often a cold perspiring foot of this description causes chilblains.
Treatment.—The first task is to treat the general causes, ehlo rosis and anaunia, and to influence through diet and general direc tions the nervous condition. At the same time all disturbances of circulation (narrow shoes, garters, ete.) should be removed. By the
local treatment the excessive secretion should be reduced, antihy drotic measures being indicated, for instance baths of oak bark and nut leaves, painting the feet with chromic acid (5 per cent., caution!), washing with a 2-10 per cent. formalin solution (caution: eczema), and washing with spirit of naphthol 5.0 Gin.. glycerin 10.0 Gm., spir. colon. 30.0 Gm., diluted spirit ad 150.0 Gm., or with a 5 per cent. solu tion of tannin. Besides, weak formalin ointments or llebra's ointment can be recommended to apply to the hands. It is of special importance to frequently change the stockings and to keep the feet dry by dusting them with dermatol powder, if they are at all involved.
of the sweat secretion (anidrosis) and partial absence of sweat secre tion occurs from nervous and psychic causes. Among the qualitative disturbances brief mention may Le made of bromidosis (unpleasant odor of the perspiration) and chromidosis (changed color of the perspiration) as being connected with hyperidrosis. Chabbcrt communicated three cases of yellow chromidosis in the children of one family.