THE RECENT war has again brought to the attention of American dermatologists the need for a more intimate knowledge of tropical diseases. To obtain information on the incidence of certain of these diseases in the United States Armed Forces, I recently communicated with the Surgeons General of the Army and Navy. I had expected a reasonably large number of cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis (oriental sore) and even of leprosy but was surprised to learn that as many as 32 cases of yaws had been reported in Army personnel and 24 cases in the Navy and Marine Corps, a total of 56 cases contracted during World War II. Information was not given as to where the infections had been acquired or as to the race of the patients.
Of the five diseases which I shall describe briefly, three, namely, yaws (treponematosis), pinta and Carrion's disease, are almost entirely confined to the