The doctor finally gave up and told her to go home and soak the wound in coal oil twice a day and pray for healing. The remedy worked. As I suspected, a detailed search of the book did not show coal oil as a recommended remedy for any malady. I now believe use of the concoction was for purely psychological reasons.
Prickly heat causes an itchy rash of small red raised red spots with a prickling or stinging sensation. Prickly heat usually affects parts of the body covered by clothes, such as the back, abdomen, neck, upper chest, groin or armpits.
The excessive sweat clogs the skin pores, which, in turn, trigger these rashes. This happens when your perspiration gets trapped under the skin, instead of evaporating. That is why prickly heat rashes are seen commonly along skin folds, such as neck, waist, armpits, and groin.