An unguent is a soothing preparation spread on
wound
A wound is a rapid onset of injury that involves laceration, lacerated or puncture wound, punctured skin (an ''open'' wound), or a bruise, contusion (a ''closed'' wound) from blunt force physical trauma, trauma or compression. In pathology, a '' ...
s,
burns Burns may refer to:
* Burn, an injury (plural)
People:
* Burns (surname), includes list of people and characters
Business:
* Burns London, a British guitar maker
Places:
;In the United States
* Burns, Colorado, unincorporated community in Eagle ...
,
rash
A rash is a change of the human skin which affects its color, appearance, or texture.
A rash may be localized in one part of the body, or affect all the skin. Rashes may cause the skin to change color, itch, become warm, bumpy, chapped, dry, cr ...
es,
abrasions or other topical injuries (i.e. damage to the skin). It is similar to an
ointment
A topical medication is a medication that is applied to a particular place on or in the body. Most often topical medication means application to body surfaces such as the skin or mucous membranes to treat ailments via a large range of classes ...
, though typically an unguent is oilier and less
viscous
The viscosity of a fluid is a measure of its resistance to deformation at a given rate. For liquids, it corresponds to the informal concept of "thickness": for example, syrup has a higher viscosity than water.
Viscosity quantifies the inter ...
. It is usually delivered as a semi-solid paste spread on the skin, and it is often oily in order to suspend the medication or other
active ingredient
An active ingredient is any ingredient that provides biologically active or other direct effect in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease or to affect the structure or any function of the body of humans or animals. T ...
s.
During the
Victorian era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...
, the use of the unguent
macassar oil
Macassar oil is a compounded oil that was used primarily by Western European men throughout the 1800s and early 1900s as a hair conditioner to groom and style the hair.
It was popularised by Alexander Rowland (1747–1823), a celebrated London ba ...
on the hair became so popular that
antimacassar
An antimacassar is a small cloth placed over the backs or arms of chairs, or the head or cushions of a sofa, to prevent soiling of the permanent fabric underneath.Fleming, John & Hugh Honour. (1977) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Decorative Art ...
s were invented to prevent damage to furniture.
[Fleming, John & ]Hugh Honour
Hugh Honour FRSL (26 September 1927 – 19 May 2016) was a British art historian, known for his writing partnership with John Fleming (art historian), John Fleming. Their ''A World History of Art'' (a.k.a. ''The Visual Arts: A History''), is now ...
. (1977) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Decorative Arts. '' London: Allen Lane
Sir Allen Lane (born Allen Lane Williams; 21 September 1902 – 7 July 1970) was a British publisher who together with his brothers Richard and John Lane founded Penguin Books in 1935, bringing high-quality paperback fiction and non-fictio ...
, p. 26.
Mercurochrome unguent
Various preparations of
mercurochrome
Merbromin (marketed as Mercurochrome, Merbromine, Mercurocol, Sodium mercurescein, Asceptichrome, Supercrome, Brocasept and Cinfacromin) is an organomercuric disodium salt compound used as a topical antiseptic for minor cuts and scrapes and as ...
unguent are occasionally used as
adjunct therapy
Adjuvant therapy, also known as adjunct therapy, adjuvant care, or augmentation therapy, is a therapy that is given in addition to the primary or initial therapy to maximize its effectiveness. The surgeries and complex treatment regimens used in ...
in the treatment of
furunculosis, and palliative relief of
Kaposi sarcoma
Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a type of cancer that can form masses in the skin, in lymph nodes, in the mouth, or in other organs. The skin lesions are usually painless, purple and may be flat or raised. Lesions can occur singly, multiply in a limite ...
s, although mercurials should only be used in extreme cases due to high toxicity and severe hypersensitivity or idiosyncratic reactions.
It was also used by the Egyptians to help soothe their skin from the dry heat.
See also
*
Aegyptiacum Aegyptiacum, or ægyptiacum, was used in pharmacy as a kind of detersive, or cleansing unguent. It is so called from its dusky hue or color, which resembles the swarthy complexion of the Egyptian people.
It is composed of verdigris, vinegar, and ...
*
Salve
A salve is a medical ointment used to soothe the surface of the body.
Medical uses
Magnesium sulphate paste is used as a drawing salve to treat small boils and infected wounds and to remove 'draw' small splinters. Black ointment, or Ichthyol ...
*
Cream perfumes
Solid perfumes or cream perfumes are perfumes in solid state rather than the liquid mix of alcohol (ethanol) and water used in eau de parfum, eau de toilette, eau de cologne, etc. Normally the substance that gives the cream its base comes from a t ...
References
Routes of administration
Ointments
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