Dermatologists had for years recognized atypical types of ichthyosis. but it remained for Brocq,1 in 1881, to emphasize congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma as a clinical entity. His report was published in the Annales de dermatologie et de syphiligraphie. Up to the time MacKee and Rosen2 published their excellent monograph on the subject. most of the cases of the disease had been reported from France. These authors collected forty-five cases in the literature, added four of their own, and made a comprehensive contribution to our knowledge of the subject.
The descriptive term erythroderma congenitale ichthyosiforme was applied by Brocq to a rare form of ichthyosis characterized by the following features: (1) beginning in early infancy as a rule, (2) generalized redness, exaggerated on the neck and folds of the joints and limbs, (3) generalized hyperkeratosis, (4) seborrhea of the scalp and face, (5) overdevelopment of the hair and nails, (6)