A useful test is to give the impostor a pinch of snuff, which
promptly brings the entertainment to an end.
=Lumbago= is often feigned, and the imposture should be suspected when
there is a motive, and when physical signs, such as nodes and tender
spots, are absent. A simple test is to inadvertently drop a shilling in
front of him, when he will promptly stoop and pick it up. The same
principles apply to spurious sciatica.
=Haemorrhages= purporting to come from the lungs, stomach, or bowels,
rarely present much difficulty. The microscope is of use in all cases of
bleeding. Possibly the gums or the inside of the cheeks may have been
scratched or abraded with a pin.
=Skin Diseases= are excited artificially, especially those which may be
produced by mechanical and chemical irritants. The most commonly
employed are vinegar, acetic acid, carbolic acid, nitric acid, and
carbonate of sodium; but tramps frequently use sorrel and various
species of ranunculus. The lesions simulated are usually inflammatory in
character, such as erythema, vesicular and bullous eruptions, and
ulceration of the skin. They may be complicated by the presence of
pediculi and other animal and vegetable parasites.
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