of the Nails; Onychatrophia.)

#Describe atrophy of the nails.#

The nails are soft, thin and brittle, splitting easily, and are often
opaque and lustreless, and may have a worm-eaten appearance. Several or
more are usually affected.

#State the causes of atrophy of the nails.#

The condition may be congenital or acquired, usually the latter. It may
result from trauma, or be produced by certain cutaneous diseases,
notably eczema and psoriasis; or it may follow injuries or diseases of
the nerves. Syphilis and chronic wasting constitutional diseases may
also interfere with the normal growth of the nail-substance, producing
varying degrees of atrophy. The fungi of tinea trichophytina and tinea
favosa at times invade these structures and lead to more or less
complete disintegration--_onychomycosis_.

[Illustration: Fig. 40. Atrophy of the Nails.]

#What is the treatment of atrophy of the nails?#

Treatment will depend upon the cause. When it is due to eczema or
psoriasis, appropriate constitutional and local remedies should be
prescribed. If it is the result of syphilis, mercury and potassium
iodide are to be advised. In onychomycosis--an exceedingly obstinate
affection--the nails should be kept closely cut and pared, and a one- to
five-grain solution of corrosive sublimate applied several times a day;
a lotion of sodium hyposulphite, a drachm to the ounce, is also a
valuable and safe application.

#Atrophia Cutis.#
(_Synonyms:_ Atrophoderma; Atrophy of the Skin.)

#What do you understand by atrophy of the skin?#

By atrophy of the skin is meant an idiopathic or symptomatic wasting or
degeneration of its component elements.

#State the several conditions met with.#

Glossy skin, general idiopathic atrophy of the skin, parchment skin,
atrophic lines and spots, senile atrophy, and the atrophy following
certain cutaneous diseases.

#Describe glossy skin (atrophoderma neuriticum), and state the treatment.#

Glossy skin is a rare condition following an injury or disease of the
nerve. It is usually seen about the fingers. The skin is hairless,
faintly reddish, smooth and shining, with a varnished and thin
appearance, and with a tendency to fissuring. More or less severe and
persistent burning pain precedes and accompanies the atrophy.

Protective applications are called for, the disease tending slowly to
spontaneous disappearance.

#Describe general idiop