Prof Harry:Now wait a moment, before he gave you the lotion, did he examine you, did he speak to you and did he take a good history from you?

Graham:He looked and then he gave me the lotion. And that was it.

Prof Harry:Did he put his hands on you?

Graham:No. He wouldn’t touch me. He did not find anything when he looked at my skin. He just said we bath too much and we should use gelatin soap and the lotion. And it doesn’t help.

Prof Harry:In general the causes for an itch like you have can be either inside the body or it can be something outside the body. There are all sorts of possibilities. For example you might be allergic to various substances. You have to start by taking a very, very careful history to find out whether the problem is inside or outside. The doctor must sit down with you and take a very careful history. It seems that when he examined you, he did not find anything obvious. And then you can try to make a proper diagnosis. Otherwise he is simply treating the symptom and he is not getting down to the cause.