TROPICAL ulcers, of diphtheritic or other origin, have been treated by a variety of methods, with varying degrees of success. With the advent of penicillin, more satisfactory results have been observed.1 This report concerns itself with the bacteriologic findings and the results of several plans of penicillin therapy in 56 patients with tropical ulcers or ulcerated dermatitides. In 8 of the patients the ulcerated lesions harbored virulent Corynebacterium diphtheriae.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Plan of Study.—
The patients were admitted to special wards with isolation facilities. Schick tests were performed on admission, and the results were read on the third and fifth days, to minimize the number of falsely positive and combined reactions. Each patient was given three days of preliminary cleansing treatments, during which time material for cultures was taken daily from the nose, throat and all active lesions of the skin (ulcerations, fissures, vesicles, pustules and other lesions