This volume contains several interestingly written papers. R. L. Mayer, the allergist, and Werner Jadassohn debate the old question of contact dermatitis versus atopic dermatitis. Mayer, representing the unitarian school, considers them to be immunologically the same; "whether an allergenic agent produces contact or atopic dermatitis depends upon endogenous or exogenous factors." Jadassohn, of the dualist school, states, "the differences between atopic dermatitis and contact eczema are great," pointing to the generally recognized differences in passive transfer, hereditary tendencies, skin-test reactions, clinical pictures, response to treatment, etc. Incidentally, the two authors consider both conditions to be of allergic origin.
The gel-precipitation method as a tool in allergy is discussed by several authors. In a discussion of nickel sensitivity in women, Calnan points out several separate clinical manifestations of the condition: the primary lesion in the area of contact; secondary lesions of the sensitization type occurring in specific symmetrical areas