Flat warts are flesh-coloured, sometimes itchy lumps with flat tops that occur mainly on the wrists, backs of hands, and face. About 50 per cent of warts disappear in 6–12 months without treatment. However, genital warts should be treated promptly. Common, flat, and plantar warts can sometimes be destroyed using a wart-removing liquid or special plaster. Several treatments may be necessary, and sometimes the wart returns. Warts are commonly treated by cryosurgery.
wart, plantar A hard, horny, and roughsurfaced area on the sole of the foot caused by a virus called a papillomavirus. Plantar warts, also known as verrucas, may occur singly or in clusters. The wart is flattened and forced into the skin and may cause discomfort or pain when walking. Infection is usually acquired from contaminated floors in swimming pools and communal showers.
Many plantar warts disappear without treatment, but some persist for years or recur. They can be removed by cryosurgery or by applying plasters or gel containing salicylic acid.... wart
Habitat: Damp fields and waste places ; ditch and river sides.
Features ? The hairy stem is two to three feet high, freely branched, rough and angular. Egg-shaped to lance-shaped leaves, with wavy edges, hug the stem above, the lower ones having long stalks ; they are all large and hairy. The plant produces yellowish, bluish, or purplish-white flowers in May and June, all on the same side of the stem. The root is brownish-black, deeply wrinkled, greyish and horny internally. The taste is mucilaginous and sweetish, and the dried herb has an odour resembling that of tea.Part used ? Root and leaves.Action: The roots, and to some extent the leaves, are demulcent and astringent.
The action of Comfrey is similar to that of Marsh Mallow, and consequently it is a popular cough remedy. It is also used as a fomentation in strained and inflammatory conditions of the muscles, and will promote suppuration of boils and other skin eruptions. A decoction is made by boiling 1/2 to 1 ounce of the crushed root in 1 quart of water,reducing to 1 1/2 pints, and is taken in wineglass doses.Coffin tells us the root of the plant is also "a good tonic medicine, and acts friendly on the stomach; very useful in cases where, from maltreatment, the mouth, the throat and stomach have become sore."... comfreyHabitat: Moist meadows and pasture land.
Features ? The stem. growing up to three feet, is branched, furrowed, and downy above; egg-shaped, serrate leaves embrace the stem. The calyx is also egg-shaped and leafy, and the flowers, blooming in July and August, are large, solitary and terminal, brilliantly yellow in colour. The root is light grey, hard, horny and cylindrical. The whole plant is similar in appearance to the horseradish, its taste is bitter and acrid, and the odour reminiscent of camphor.Part used ? Root.Action: Diaphoretic, expectorant and diuretic.
In combination with other remedies it is made up into cough medicines, and can be of service in pulmonary disorders generally. Skillfully compounded, slight alterative and tonic qualities are noticed. Wineglass doses are taken of a 1 ounce to 1 pint (reduced) decoction.These modest present-day claims for Elecampane are far exceeded by Culpeper's exuberance. In his view, the root "warms a cold and windy stomach or the pricking therein, and stitches in the side caused by the spleen; helps the cough, shortness of the breath, and wheezing of the lungs. . . . Profitable for those that have their urine stopped. . . . Resisteth poison, and stayeth the venom of serpents, as also of putrid and pestilential fevers, and the plague itself." When we are also told by the same author that it kills and expels worms, fastens loose teeth, arrests dental decay, cleanses the skin from morphew, spots and blemishes, we realize in what esteem Elecampane was held in the seventeenth century! But here again germs of truth are hidden among manifold exaggerations.... elecampaneThrush is characterised by the presence of white patches on the mucous membrane which bleeds if the patch is gently removed. It is caused by the growth of a parasitic mould known as Candida albicans. Antifungal agents usually suppress the growth of candida. Candidal in?ltration of the mucosa is often found in cancerous lesions.
Leukoplakia literally means a white patch. In the mouth it is often due to an area of thickened cells from the horny layer of the epithelium. It appears as a white patch of varying density and is often grooved by dense ?ssures. There are many causes, most of them of minor importance. It may be associated with smoking, SYPHILIS, chronic SEPSIS or trauma from a sharp tooth. Cancer must be excluded.
Stomatitis (in?ammation of the mouth) arises from the same causes as in?ammation elsewhere, but among the main causes are the cutting of teeth in children, sharp or broken teeth, excess alcohol, tobacco smoking and general ill-health. The mucous membrane becomes red, swollen and tender and ulcers may appear. Treatment consists mainly of preventing secondary infection supervening before the stomatitis has resolved. Antiseptic mouthwashes are usually su?cient.
Gingivitis (see TEETH, DISEASES OF) is in?ammation of the gum where it touches the tooth. It is caused by poor oral hygiene and is often associated with the production of calculus or tartar on the teeth. If it is neglected it will proceed to periodontal disease.
Ulcers of the mouth These are usually small and arise from a variety of causes. Aphthous ulcers are the most common; they last about ten days and usually heal without scarring. They may be associated with STRESS or DYSPEPSIA. There is no ideal treatment.
Herpetic ulcers (see HERPES SIMPLEX) are similar but usually there are many ulcers and the patient appears feverish and unwell. This condition is more common in children.
Calculus (a) Salivary: a calculus (stone) may develop in one of the major salivary-gland ducts. This may result in a blockage which will cause the gland to swell and be painful. It usually swells before a meal and then slowly subsides. The stone may be passed but often has to be removed in a minor operation. If the gland behind the calculus becomes infected, then an ABSCESS forms and, if this persists, the removal of the gland may be indicated. (b) Dental, also called TARTAR: this is a calci?ed material which adheres to the teeth; it often starts as the soft debris found on teeth which have not been well cleaned and is called plaque. If not removed, it will gradually destroy the periodontal membrane and result in the loss of the tooth. (See TEETH, DISORDERS OF.)
Ranula This is a cyst-like swelling found in the ?oor of the mouth. It is often caused by mild trauma to the salivary glands with the result that saliva collects in the cyst instead of discharging into the mouth. Surgery may be required.
Mumps is an acute infective disorder of the major salivary glands. It causes painful enlargement of the glands which lasts for about two weeks. (See also main entry for MUMPS.)
Tumours may occur in all parts of the mouth, and may be BENIGN or MALIGNANT. Benign tumours are common and may follow mild trauma or be an exaggerated response to irritation. Polyps are found in the cheeks and on the tongue and become a nuisance as they may be bitten frequently. They are easily excised.
A MUCOCOELE is found mainly in the lower lip.
An exostosis or bone outgrowth is often found in the mid line of the palate and on the inside of the mandible (bone of the lower jaw). This only requires removal if it becomes unduly large or pointed and easily ulcerated.
Malignant tumours within the mouth are often large before they are noticed, whereas those on the lips are usually seen early and are more easily treated. The cancer may arise from any of the tissues found in the mouth including epithelium, bone, salivary tissue and tooth-forming tissue remnants. Oral cancers represent about 5 per cent of all reported malignancies, and in England and Wales around 3,300 people are diagnosed annually as having cancer of the mouth and PHARYNX.
Cancer of the mouth is less common below the age of 40 years and is more common in men. It is often associated with chronic irritation from a broken tooth or ill-?tting denture. It is also more common in those who smoke and those who chew betel leaves. Leukoplakia (see above) may be a precursor of cancer. Spread of the cancer is by way of the lymph nodes in the neck. Early treatment by surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy will often be e?ective, except for the posterior of the tongue where the prognosis is very poor. Although surgery may be extensive and potentially mutilating, recent advances in repairing defects and grafting tissues from elsewhere have made treatment more acceptable to the patient.... mouth, diseases of
Structure
CORIUM The foundation layer. It overlies the subcutaneous fat and varies in thickness from 0·5–3.0 mm. Many nerves run through the corium: these have key roles in the sensations of touch, pain and temperature (see NEURON(E)). Blood vessels nourish the skin and are primarily responsible for regulating the body temperature. Hairs are bedded in the corium, piercing the epidermis (see below) to cover the skin in varying amounts in di?erent parts of the body. The sweat glands are also in the corium and their ducts lead to the surface. The ?brous tissue of the corium comprises interlocking white ?brous elastic bundles. The corium contains many folds, especially over joints and on the palms of hands and soles of feet with the epidermis following the contours. These are permanent throughout life and provide unique ?ngerprinting identi?cation. HAIR Each one has a root and shaft, and its varying tone originates from pigment scattered throughout it. Bundles of smooth muscle (arrectores pilorum) are attached to the root and on contraction cause the hair to stand vertical. GLANDS These occur in great numbers in the skin. SEBACEOUS GLANDS secrete a fatty substance and sweat glands a clear watery ?uid (see PERSPIRATION). The former are made up of a bunch of small sacs producing fatty material that reaches the surface via the hair follicle. Around three million sweat or sudoriparous glands occur all over the body surface; sited below the sebaceous glands they are unconnected to the hairs. EPIDERMIS This forms the outer layer of skin and is the cellular layer covering the body surface: it has no blood vessels and its thickness varies from 1 mm on the palms and soles to 0·1 mm on the face. Its outer, impervious, horny layer comprises several thicknesses of ?at cells (pierced only by hairs and sweat-gland openings) that are constantly rubbed o? as small white scales; they are replaced by growing cells from below. The next, clear layer forms a type of membrane below which the granular stratum cells are changing from their origins as keratinocytes in the germinative zone, where ?ne sensory nerves also terminate. The basal layer of the germinative zone contains melanocytes which produce the pigment MELANIN, the cause of skin tanning.
Nail A modi?cation of skin, being analagous to the horny layer, but its cells are harder and more adherent. Under the horny nail is the nail bed, comprising the well-vascularised corium (see above) and the germinative zone. Growth occurs at the nail root at a rate of around 0·5 mm a week – a rate that increases in later years of life.
Skin functions By its ability to control sweating and open or close dermal blood vessels, the skin plays a crucial role in maintaining a constant body temperature. Its toughness protects the body from mechanical injury. The epidermis is a two-way barrier: it prevents the entry of noxious chemicals and microbes, and prevents the loss of body contents, especially water, electrolytes and proteins. It restricts electrical conductivity and to a limited extent protects against ultraviolet radiation.
The Langerhans’ cells in the epidermis are the outposts of the immune system (see IMMUNITY), just as the sensory nerves in the skin are the outposts of the nervous system. Skin has a social function in its ability to signal emotions such as fear or anger. Lastly it has a role in the synthesis of vitamin D.... skin
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