Recently I was called to investigate an outbreak of dermatitis in a factory that manufactured tennis rackets made of bamboo. The bamboo used was in long strips, devoid of bark and hair, and prior to being molded into shape it was put through a sanding process. A check of dermatological literature revealed no reports of any dermatitis due to bamboo. It is felt, therefore, that the following cases are worthy of report.
REPORT OF CASES
Case 1.—
R. M., aged 50, had been a bamboo sander for the past 30 years. He was first seen by me on April 1, 1950, and presented an erythematovesicular, oozing and crusted dermatitis involving the dorsal and palmar aspect of both hands, the volar and ulnar surfaces of both forearms and the neck and face, accompanied with severe itching, of two weeks' duration. He gave no history of previous skin disease. He related that recently