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Show HEALTH ADVICE By Dr. Morris Fishbein Editor, Journal of Hi Amerleaa Meat-leal Meat-leal Auoeiatioe This is tha tenth of a aeries of articles in which Dr. Morris Flsh-Aein Flsh-Aein discusses diseases of tha skin. A boil Is also an Infection of the skin. It usually foHows a curi when the back of ths neck is constantly rubbed by a collar Which has not been laundered smoothly. Boils occur particularly on those parts of the skin that are covered by hair follicles, sine tha hair follicles offer Increased opportunity oppor-tunity for irritation and for tha entrance of germs beneath tha surface of tha skin. In some diseases, auch as diabetes, dia-betes, the skin of tha person seems to react unduly to infection and boils occur with greater fra- quency in diabetes. It is generally believed that repeated re-peated infections of ths skin such as pimples and boils result from a generally lowered resistance of tha body to disease. Such a lowering low-ering may coma with increased fatigue and with bad diet, constipation, con-stipation, insufficient sleep or frtah air rnl f iJnral deficiency In all of the health habits that are associated with good hygiene. Persons who have boils frequently fre-quently should try to keep tha body In the best physical state by establishing good health habits. All infections of tha ears, teeth, throat, nose or other portions of the body should be attended to since frequently the germs coming from these portions of the body may localize elsewhere and set up secondary infections. A boil is actually a deep-seated Inflammation of tha skin. Usually the germs causing tha boils are the pus-forming germs which are ever ready to attack when the resistance re-sistance of ths skin is broken down by any continued Irritation or other disturbances. There are Innumerable methods meth-ods for treating boils. Heat is frequently applied because it brings a good supply of blood. Tha blood aids in destroying germs. Tha blood also brings to tha area where the boil is located the necessary white blood cells which wall off the boil from tha rest of the body. The opening of a boil Is a serious seri-ous surgical operation. Not everyone every-one is competent to do this. Tha idea that anyone who can aea blood without fainting is competent compe-tent to do minor eurgery has long since been exploded by the deaths of people who have been seriously infected generally through earless ear-less handling of small lnfectibns. If a boil is opened Improperly, the infectious material may spread to other parts of tha akin and may even be forced through the wall that separates it from tha rest of the body, in which case the infection may apread through tha aystem and causa death. In some Instances X-ray and ultraviolet rays have been applied when boils are long persistent. This, however, is a procedure which only a competent physician physi-cian should attempt. The use of yeast for boils is certainly of no established merit. Vaccines or preparations of the killed germs taken from tha boil sometimes seem to belp in building up resistance. resist-ance. A carbuncle Is actually a group of boils and Is simply mora serious seri-ous because it represents a mora extensive infection. When carbuncles car-buncles occur in aged people or in those who are recovering from illness, ill-ness, they are naturally much more serious thsn when they oc- cur in the young. Nowadaya tha X-ray is frequently used in tha treatment of carbuncles. In serious seri-ous cases the attention of an expert ex-pert surgeon is required. Next: Infections around tha nails. |