Pitiriasis

This is the name given to an inflammation of the skin that is characterized by branny scales.   There are many different forms of it, all receiving special names, but it is clearly a symptom that needs very little direct treatment. As the general health of the community improves with better nutrition and other improved ways of living, these diseases, which   fill   the   text-books   with   very   interesting   details, will probably disappear altogether.    We say this because almost a volume could be filled with the different changes which take place in the skin when it is passing through a simple crisis.   To name and describe the particular phases of it is of interest to those who desire to make a special study of such conditions but of minor significance to the individual who suffers from it.

Psoriasis

This is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin marked by the formation of scaly red patches. It begins with tiny scale-like lesions which join together, and in bad cases may disfigure almost the whole body. Like so many other skin complaints, it may vary with each individual and change from time to time in the individual himself. It appears to run in families, and the hereditary factor should be taken into account because it enables one to endeavor to make as complete a change in surroundings as possible. This is a difficult condition to overcome, and this fact has tended to develop a pessimistic outlook, both in the patient and in the attendant, which stands in the way of recovery. All the factors making for physical, mental and emotional balance will have to be carefully adjusted to obtain the desired results.

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