WART (AS. treacle, 011U. learza, Ger. War:.', wart; perhaps connected with AS. tecarre, Lat. verruca. wart, Skt. crih, to grow, or with ((Church Slay. rredfi. eruption. Goth. usuirts, OBU. war; Ger. Thus:, AS. iryrt, Eng. wort, weed, and ultimately with Eng. root). An ex crescence of the skin due to hypertrophy of the papilla. varying in shape, size, and position. Warts are, generally round or oval, with rough ened summits, more frequently on the hands, rarely on the face. They appear especially upon children. There are several varieties of wart or verruca. The ordinary form, verruca vulyeris, ap pears upon children between the ages of two and fourteen. remains a few years. and then disap pears. Or they may last all through the patient's life. When a wart been cut or burned, fre quently small warts, called 'seed warts,' appear near by. Verruca senilis is a wart probably caused by the senile degeneration of the tissues of the skin, favored by irritation and want of clean liness. These warts are generally placed upon the back, the arms, the face. neck, and trunk.
They are rounded and irregular. dark in color, and of a greasy feel. Frequently they are the seat of troublesome itching. Venereal warts, or condylomuta, occur as a result of the discharge of gonorrhoea (q.v.) or as an evidence of syphilis (q.v.). They are found upon the genitals or the mouth. between the toes, or beneath the breasts. Warts which are threadlike, usually appearing on the face or neck, are called verruca fi/iformes. Other varieties are of little importance. Treat ment of warts consists of burning off with nitric acid, acetic acid, nitrate of silver, or the acid nitrate of mercury. Salicylic acid removes some, as also a strong alkali, frequently applied. Some may be snipped off with scissors, close to their bases; but they frequently return. The electro cautery has been used with success. Most warts are susceptible to mere suggestion. and any treat ment is of avail ; hence the success of 'charms' to remove them.