Carbuncle (so called from the redness and the burning pain), an inflammation more severe than an ordinary Boil (q.v.), is caused by some vitiated condition of the blood, or some atmospheric influence, attacking a patch of skin on the shoulders, nape of the neck, or indeed on any part of the body. The part swells slightly, feels hard, and this hardness extends deeply into the tissues; the pain is very severe, and the patient much depressed with loss of appetite, and general derangement of the secretions. As the disease advances, the redness assumes a dark purple or livid hue, the cuticle rises in blisters, and many small specks of matter appear on its surface, which discharge, and leave apertures like those in the rose of a watering-pot; through this a viscid purulent fluid escapes, and after some time the small sloughs or cores of the true skin which have been killed by the disease. In some cases the apertures meet, forming large openings, and in others the whole patch of skin sloughs and comes away.
The treatment of carbuncles consists in restoring the secreting organs to a healthy condition, the agents for which must depend on the individual case; in supporting the patient's strength by easily digested food, wine, brandy, and bark, with nitric acid; relieving pain by opiates, and encouraging suppuration with warm poultices; carrot, turnip, and yeast poultices being favourite applications in this disease. Sulphide of calcium in small doses is sometimes useful in arresting the disease.
Free incision has been strongly recommended by some surgeons; but has not been generally adopted. Quite recently (1888) early and complete removal of the sloughing tissue by cutting or scraping has been used with success. By this means it is said that the pain is arrested, the constitutional symptoms rapidly subdued, and the healing of the sore greatly hastened.