What causes shingles?

Shingles-Herpes Zoster

Q. What causes shingles?

A. This peculiar and very painful disease is due to inflammation of a nerve trunk believed to be the result of infection. The most com­mon seat of the disease is the side. The erup­tion follows the course of the inter-costal nerve. A single nerve trunk of the leg or any other part of the body may be the seat of the inflam­mation. At the beginning of the disease very hot applications applied over the affected parts give the most relief.

If for example, the shingles affects the side, the most common seat, the fomentations should go two thirds the way around the body, and should reach from the armpit to the hip. The affected part itself should be covered first with a little dry cotton or cheese cloth, and then by mackintosh or a piece of newspaper folded to three or four thicknesses. After the fomenta­tions, rub the sound skin over the whole sur­face that has been reddened with the hand or a soft napkin dipped in very cold water. Continue the rubbing about half a minute, fre­quently dipping the hand in the cold water. Then dry the parts, and dust the inflamed sur­face with starch and cover with soft cotton or with a mass of soft cheese cloth. Apply a bandage around the body just tight enough to hold the cotton in place. This may be repeated three or four times a day, and will afford very great relief; but the disease has a definite course the same as measles, whooping-cough, and many other diseases. After a few days the eruption will disappear.

The parts which have been inflamed are fre­quently the seat of disagreeable neuralgic pains for some weeks or even months after an at­tack. For this apply very hot fomentations three or four times a day and the heating compress during the interval and at night. The heating compress consists of a napkin or small towel wrung dry out of very cold water, and applied over the part, covered first with mackintosh, and then with flannels so as to keep it very warm.