In his preface, the author suggests that perhaps the reason the medical profession has been so slow to put to practical use the present-day knowledge of dietotherapy is that there has been as yet no comprehensive presentation of the subject. So far as it relates to dermatology, he proposes to do this and he succeeds admirably.
The first part treats of the influence of nutrition on the chemical composition of the skin, in contradistinction to that of the blood, and of nutritional influence on the biologic reactions of the skin. Various nutritional defects as the cause of skin disease are next considered, general undernourishment, excess or deficiency of the various vitamins, and excess of salt, flour or milk. The next chapter treats of skin disease due to alimentary infections or intoxications, functional disturbances or disease of the alimentary tract and their dietetic management. A discussion of dermatoses due to pathologic