PRURIGO OF HEBRA (SEVERE TYPE)

The omission of prurigo ferox as a specific entity in the official list of the "Standard Nomenclature of Disease and Standard Nomenclature of Operations,"¹ published in 1942, is evidence of its rarity in North America.² The disease has always been relatively uncommon in the United States. The past twenty years has seen its virtual disappearance from private practice as well as from large dermatologic clinics. This observation has been confirmed by MacKee³ and Wise.³ The statistics of the Skin and Cancer Unit of the New York Post-Graduate Medical School and Hospital from 1935 to 1942 inclusive record but a single case in over 700,000 admissions. Dr. Max Jessner,³ head of the large Breslau Clinic until 1935, has stated that it is his impression that the same infrequency prevailed there. Therefore the following case is presented to add to the list of previously reported