Recent histopathologic studies of the central nervous system have brought to light a group of cases presenting peculiar lesions in the form of scattered foci of degeneration. These foci or plaques differ microscopically from the patches of multiple sclerosis, encephalomyelitis and similar conditions and may be the cause of many indefinite clinical syndromes. These probably include many cases described as degenerative encephalitis, disseminated encephalomyelitis, malignant or acute multiple sclerosis, poliencephalitis superior of Wernicke, and other conditions. Generally speaking, they do not conform, either clinically or pathologically, to any established morbid entity.
The histopathologic examination of such a case seems to justify the conclusion that we are here dealing with a disease group sui generis which we propose to designate as multiple degenerative softening in order to emphasize the contrast with multiple sclerosis.
CLINICAL REPORT OF A CASE (DR. BASSOE)
History.
—A man, aged 28 years, was first in the Presbyterian