Cheilitis is frequently a difficult and baffling disorder. A patient was seen recently with cheilitis in which coffee appeared to be the offending agent. Since to my knowledge such an etiologic factor has not been reported, it seems desirable to record this case.
Cheilitis venenata is usually due to cosmetics,1 dentifrices,2 or medicaments.3 Sutton and Sutton4 reported a case of cheilitis due to the volatile oil of oranges, but doubted whether ordinary foods are often at fault. Miller5 reported a case of cheilitis due to cinnamon in bubble gum.
A circumoral dermatitis may develop in hypersensitive children after the eating of such foods as spinach, carrots, tomato juice, and orange juice6; however, the vermillion borders of the lips are usually not involved.
REPORT OF A CASE
Mrs. J. S., a 39-year-old white housewife, was first seen on Oct. 29, 1951, complaining of dry, scaling,