Another formula, more especially useful in eczema of the hands and legs, is the following:—
℞ Ac. salicylici, .................................. gr. xxx
Emp. plumbi,
Emp. saponis,
Petrolati, ...................āā.................. ℥j. M.
(This is to be applied as a plaster, spread on strips of lint, and changed every twelve or twenty-four hours.)
The paste-like ointment, referred to as useful in acute eczema, may also be used with a larger proportion (20 to 60 grains to the ounce) of salicylic acid.
The following, containing tar, may often be employed with advantage:—
℞ Ungt. picis liq., ................................ ʒj
Ungt. zinci oxidi, ............................... ʒvij. M.
What is to be said in regard to the use of tarry applications?
Ointments or lotions containing tar should always be tried at first upon a limited surface, as occasionally skins are met with upon which this remedy acts as a more or less violent irritant. The coal tar lotion (liquor carbonis detergens) is the least likely to disagree and may be used as a mild ointment, one or two drachms to the ounce, or it may be diluted and used as a weak lotion as already referred to.
What external remedies are to be employed in eczema of a sluggish type?
The various remedies and combinations (mentioned above) useful in acute and subacute eczema may often be employed with benefit, but, as a rule, stronger applications are necessary, especially in the thick and leathery patches. The following are the most valuable:—