Hello Diane,
      Before the days of the -azole family of anti-fungal pharmaceuticals, long-established fungal infections were hard to treat and were also often not identified.  Common fungal infections such as oral thrush were fairly well recognised and treated with gentian violet.  (I can remember as a very young child having my mouth painted - and being disappointed when I found that "painting" my mouth didn't mean my mother was doing a work of art there!)
    However, nailbed infections were often a source of distress and puzzlement to the sufferers.  In the 1950s in my hometown, some women had fingernails which were growing in a ridged manner, the worst cases having the nails come through in thickened lumps, a bit like a glob of Araldite glue.  Locally the cause wasn't recognised, and was attributed to a harsh brand of laundry powder ("Persil fingernails").  My mother had the worst case I've even seen, and as she was fastidious, she must have felt distress at how her hands looked.  The harsh washing powder may have provided the port of entry, as wearing rubber gloves in the laundry and using a milder soap powder seemed to prevent worsening and may have brought a slight imporvement.
     So, what worked in the 1950s?  Someone suggested bathing the fingers in a really hot solution of magnesium sulphate (Epsom salts).  It may have helped with the less affected fingers - I have the impression that it did.  Then a woman from another part of the country moved next door and became firm friends with my mother.  She had seen this sort of nail problem before and recommended a tried-and-true treatment used among women in her home state - promanganated potash (pot. mang.) or Condes Crystals, diluted to the right shade of brown.  My mother steeped her fingers and nails in this for some time.  This time, the treatment was noticeably effective.  All the affected fingernails, except the two worst ones, grew out and were replaced by completely normal growth.  The family medico later pulled out the two really bad nails (ouch!) - and they regrew as beautiful, normal nails.  No doubt the treatment had already killed the infection in the nailbeds of these as well.
     If you are going to use gentian violet for the nailbed infections, why not try just painting on one site, and soaking (a more dilute, warm solution?) the other, just for your own curiosity?
         Virginia  

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