AFTER THE appearance of preliminary reports of favorable effects of aureomycin, chloramphenicol, and oxytetracycline ("terramycin") in mumps, these three broad-spectrum antibiotics were studied systematically for symptomatic effects when given early in the course of mumps orchitis. A clear demonstration of therapeutic results was considered desirable because epidemic parotitis was the most frequent infection of known viral etiology in a medical service for adults and was. often associated with distressing symptoms. Mumps orchitis was found to present a course severe enough and consistent enough to allow conclusions to be drawn from a few cases in which the symptoms persisted despite therapy.
LITERATURE
Aureomycin.
—Tentative reports of favorable results of aureomycin therapy in mumps were made by four groups of investigators. Langley and Bryfogle 1 treated three patients with parotitis on the first, third, and seventh days of illness with symptomatic improvement four, five, and two days, respectively, after treatment was begun.