The rash associated with picking daffodils has long been recognized, but the distribution and differing types of lesions have not been explained. This study, from observations in the field, attempts to clarify the position. The method of picking and then gathering the flowers explains the development of the rash at the points of contact of plant sap with skin. Crystals of calcium oxalate in the sap, in conjunction with alkaloids, act as an irritant, and also cause the characteristic sores.
In this study we report the results of using Mohs' micrographic surgery (MMS) to treat 228 basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) in both a teaching and a district general hospital. The criteria for case selection and the 5-year recurrence rate of 3.8% are comparable with figures from the U.S.A. Our experience shows that high cure rates in difficult and, especially, recurrent tumours are obtainable using MMS in both a teaching and a district general hospital setting. Such treatment should be more widely available in the U.K. particularly as the incidence of BCCs is rising.