The treatment of herpes is unsatisfactory. Usually it is simply a minor cosmetic disability and clears rapidly without interference. Otherwise a spirit lotion may encourage the blisters to dry, and is preferable to an ointment. An antispetic cream may reduce the possibility of secondary infection, but will not aid the virus’s normal resolution. Numerous other measures have been tried on both types of herpes infection with variable results. These include: frequent applications of ether, which tends to destroy the virus coating; frequent applications of idoxuridine in spirit or, if available, in D.M.S.O. (dimethyl sulphoxidel— this is very effective in eye infections; photo-inactivation of the virus using dyes, such as proflavine, or neutral red, and exposing it to a light source; either the application of or the intravenous administration of cytosine arabinoside— this is a most useful drug for internal herpetic infection, but as yet, has no place in the treatment of the skin; large doses of zinc and vitamin C. Finally, work is in progress attempting to harness Interferon, a specific anti-viral agent, and also to develop an anti-herpes vaccine.

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