The Eczema Group of Dermatoses

Abstract

Of the many skin ailments which tax the skill and patience of the dermatologist and pediatrician, one of the most troublesome is the so-called “infantile eczema,” with its many synonyms: infantile dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, true eczema, early exudative eczematoid and allergic infantile eczema. That the disease is not well understood is evidenced by the many conflicting theories as to its causation, and the multitude of remedies used in its treatment. The true reason for this confusion lies in the fact that several distinct dermatoses are grouped under the common term of “infantile eczema.” The condition therefore is not a clinical entity depending on the discovery of a single specific cause, and may, perhaps, best be defined as a dry or exudative eczema of the face, later extending to the neck, wrists, forearms and the outer aspects of the extremities, occurring in susceptible infants and due to various internal and external factors.