Dr. Cannaday’s eczema cure, part 2 – Sedalia Democrat

Sedalia dermatologist Dr. Julian Cannaday achieved fame and wealth treating eczema, a skin disease marked by rough, itchy, scaly patches on the skin. In the book he wrote advocating his treatment for eczema, he questioned the currently available treatments and the doctors who prescribed them. He also offered his own cure.

Cannaday proposed that eczema was difficult to cure because most physicians treated the effects and ignored the cause. He believed he knew the cause, which he claimed was the buildup of acid in the blood and the inability of the body to cleanse the blood, forcing the acid to be excreted through the skin, which developed itchy patches where the acid seeped out. His explanation, and the certainty with which he pronounced it, is interesting, in that the exact cause of eczema remains unknown.

The website of the prestigious Mayo Clinic suggests several contributing factors, including dry irritable skin caused by too much exposure to hot or cold water or harsh cleaning agents, allergies to dyes or perfumes in soaps or lotions, and environmental conditions such as exposure to hot dry air. Cannaday explains that these factors may aggravate eczema by irritating skin already damaged by the acid excreted through the skin.

Some treatments offered during the early 20th century tried to kill germs that were found in the scabs that developed on the skin. Cannaday believed the germs were carried by the fingers of the patient who scratched the intensely itching skin and were not the cause of the disease. In addition, the things prescribed to treat the skintar, zinc, carbolic acid, corrosive sublimates [used] to kill the germs were so strong they injured the skin

Cannaday dismissed some of the treatments proposed by other doctors, such as cod liver oil, though a deficiency of Vitamin D, a substance found in cod liver oil, may contribute to eczema. Cannaday also dismissed ointments prescribed by other doctors.

Cannadays treatment consisted of the use of a diet that avoided foods that build up acid during digestion. His prescribed a special diet that he said would allow the patient to eat enough food to keep hunger away while not building up acid.

The second part of Cannadays treatment was a blood tonic taken as either pills or liquid form three times per day. He believed the tonic would improve digestion.

The third part of his treatment was the use of a special wash for the affected skin.

Cannadays book does not list the foods allowed on his diet, nor does it give any hints as to the composition of the tonic or the wash. For the treatment, one had to pay $12.50 ($308 in todays purchasing power) for two months worth of tonic, powder to mix with water to make the wash, and a written copy of the diet.

We still do not know the exact nature of Cannadays cure. Perhaps someday, someone will find in the attic a copy of the diet, a tonic pill or two, and some of the wash power so they can be analyzed for their content.

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Dr. Cannaday's eczema cure, part 2 - Sedalia Democrat