THE TERM pemphigus is applied to a group of relapsing, usually fatal, bullous eruptions. The cause of pemphigus vulgaris remains obscure, and no specific treatment is known to be uniformly effective.
Recently much discussion has centered on the role of the adrenal gland in pemphigus, together with the associated characteristic electrolyte pattern and the fluid balance,1 the results of adrenal cortex replacement therapy2 and the anatomic changes seen in the adrenal gland on postmortem examination.3 Since little attention has been directed to complete postmortem studies, the following 4 cases are reported as a contribution to the total knowledge concerning pemphigus vulgaris.
REPORT OF CASES
Case 1.—
T. O. M., a 38 year old white male truck driver, was admitted to the hospital complaining of a "sore mouth and body rash of thirteen months' duration." He was seen by his physician at the onset of his present illness;