Define furunculus.
Furunculus, or boil, is an acute, deep-seated, inflammatory, circumscribed, rounded or more or less acuminated, firm, painful formation, usually terminating in central suppuration.
Describe the symptoms and course.
A boil begins as a small, rounded or imperfectly defined reddish spot, or as a small, superficial pustule; it increases in size, and when well advanced appears as a pea or cherry-sized, circumscribed, reddish elevation, with more or less surrounding hyperæmia and swelling; it is painful and tender, and ends, in the course of several days or a week, in the formation of a central slough or “core,” which finally involves the central overlying skin (pointing). One or several may be present, gradually maturing and disappearing. Insignificant scarring may remain.
In some cases sympathetic constitutional disturbance is noticed.
What is a blind boil?
A sluggish boil exhibiting little, if any, tendency to point or break.
What is furunculosis?
Furunculosis is that condition in which boils, singly or in crops, continue to appear, irregularly, for weeks or months.
State the etiology of furuncle.