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In this monograph the author reports 150 cases of atrophy of the liver studied by him, 97 of which occurred during an epidemic in Sweden in 1927. The disease showed a remarkable tendency to appear at definite periods of the year, namely, spring and fall. It seemed to be epidemic, which led the author to believe that it was infectious. It was more prevalent in the cities, and more women than men were affected. Syphilis, treatment with arsphenamine and pregnancy apparently were only incidental predisposing causes.
The author draws attention to the marked clinical similarity of the course of catarrhal jaundice and that of acute yellow atrophy of the liver. It is only in the pulse rate that the two differ, the first having a bradycardia, whereas in the latter the pulse curve lies well above the temperature curve.
Results of pathologic studies conformed with the observations of other investigators.