or equal parts of alcohol, or
vinegar and water, which are used to bathe the itching parts and then
permitted to dry on them. Cold solution of carbolic acid (one
teaspoonful to the pint of hot water) is, perhaps, the most
efficacious single remedy. But if it causes burning it must be washed
off at once. Dressings wet with it must never be allowed to become
dry, as then the acid becomes concentrated and gangrene may result.
Calamine lotion (p. 145) is also a serviceable preparation when there
is redness and swelling of the skin. When the itching is confined to
small areas, or due to a pimply or scaly eruption on the skin, the
following ointments may be tried: a mixture of tar ointment and zinc
ointment (two drams each) with four drams of cold cream, or flowers of
sulphur, one part, and lard, twelve parts.

=CHAFING AND CHAPPING.=--Chafing occurs when two opposing skin
surfaces rub together and are irritated by sweat, as in the armpits,
under the breasts and beneath overlapping parts of the belly of fat
people, and between the thighs and buttocks. The same result is caused
by the irritation induced by discharges constantly running over the
skin, as that seen in infants, due to the presence of urine and bowel
discharges, and that irritation which arises from saliva when the lips
are frequently licked. The latter condition of the lips is commonly
called chapping, but it is proper to consider chafing and chapping
together as the morbid state of the skin, and the treatment is the
same for both.

Chafing occurs more often in hot weather and after violent exercise,
as rowing, riding, or running, and is aggravated by the friction of
clothing or of tight boots. It may, on the other hand, appear in
persons who sit a great deal, owing to constant pressure and friction
in one place. The parts are hot, red, and tender, and emit a
disagreeable odor when secretions are retained. The skin becomes
sodden by retained sweat, and may crack and bleed. The same redness
and tenderness are seen in chapping of the face and lips, and
cracking of the lips is frequent.

In chafing the first requisite is to remove the cause, and then
thoroughly wash the part with soap and water. Then a saturated
solution of boric acid in water should be applied with a soft cloth,
and the parts dusted with a mixture of boric acid and powdered starch,
equal parts, three times daily. If the lips are badly cracked,
touching them, once daily, with a stick of silve