A carbuncle is an acute, usually egg to palm-sized, circumscribed, phlegmonous inflammation of the skin and subcutaneous structures, terminating in a slough.
At what age and upon what parts is carbuncle usually observed?
In middle and advanced life, and more commonly in men.
It is seen most frequently at the nape of the neck and upon the upper part of the back.
What are the symptoms and course of carbuncle?
There is rarely more than one lesion present. It begins, usually with preceding and accompanying malaise, chilliness and febrile disturbance, as a firm, flat, inflammatory infiltration in the deeper skin and subcutaneous tissue, spreading laterally and finally involving an area of one to several inches in diameter. The infiltration and swelling increase, the skin becomes of dark red color, and sooner or later, usually at the end of ten days or two weeks, softening and suppuration begin to take place, the skin finally giving away at several points, through which sanious pus exudes; the whole mass finally sloughs away either in portions or in its entirety, resulting in a deep ulcer, which slowly heals and leaves a permanent cicatrix.
In some cases, especially in old people, constitutional disturbance of a grave character is noted, septicæmia is developed, and a fatal result may ensue.
What is the cause of carbuncle?
The same causes are considered to be operative in carbunculus as in furuncle; general debility and depression, from whatever cause, predisposing to its formation, and the introduction of a microbe, probably the same as in furunculus, being at present looked upon as the exciting factor.
What is the pathology?