Lichen Ruber

To Hebra is due the description of an eruption to which he applied the name above given. It, like lichen planus, is a papular affection, but the papules present a different aspect, and they are acuminate, not fattened. They do not exhibit the central hilum. The papules rarely if ever undergo spontaneous resolution, but persist throughout the entire period of the disease, which, as a rule, terminates with the patient's death. The papules at first are discrete, and each is decked with a minute adhering scale. New papules continue to form, and in time considerable patches, raised, red, and scaly, come into existence.

The prognosis is essentially grave. A few cases have been reported cured, but in the majority the disease lasted until death terminated the patient's existence.

Externally we may seek with some measure of success to procure resolution of the lesions by active substitutive treatment, involving the use of iodine, bichloride of mercury, carbolic acid, strong alkaline applications, etc.; but whether either or all of them is capable of retarding the usual termination is problematical.



There are several varieties of lichen given by different authors, but, as they are but forms of either the two above mentioned or lichen simplex, we will omit them, especially as they will be referred to in the description of the various lesions of the skin, and simply give a description of lichen simplex.

One case, reported in one of our journals, I would like to mention, as showing the efficacy of a well chosen homoeopathic remedy.