SKIN TROUBLES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 4415, 8 November 1934, Page 1

SKIN TROUBLES.

Dr. W. J. O’Donovan, M.P., speaking at the Institute of Hygiene in London, said: “The modem married woman is exposed to more skin hazards than the workman employed on a factory process. The labour-saving products in general use in the home are potent chemicals. The housewife will put her hands in mixed alkalis and then chloride on washing day and follow it by cleansing brass with metal polish, which is a strong acid. She will then put cold cream of an unknown composition on her hands. The skin cannot stand this.” Referring to dermatitis, he said it might be caused by innocent hobbies such as photography, wireless, and gardening. Winkles and shellfish might predispose the skin to eruptions and a rash might arise from the handling of chrysanthemums in the flowering stage in the case of some people.. He had over 6,000 new cases of skin disease in his clinic at the London Hospital each year. He advocated improvement in personal hygiene among workers as a means of combating occupational diseases. Rubber gloves were no remedy.