THE SUCCESSFUL, and frequently dramatic, treatment of acute ocular inflammation with intravenous injection of corticotropin has stimulated much investigation, and undoubtedly medical literature will be replete with reports of its successes and failures in a variety of conditions. Smith's recent article1 presents succinctly the important facts concerning the intravenous use of corticotropin in general, and in ophthalmology in particular.
The maximum dose necessary is 20 mg. in 500 to 2,000 cc. of either 5% dextrose in distilled water or isotonic sodium chloride solution, which is given by continuous intravenous administration over a period of 8 to 24 hours. The addition of 0.2% potassium chloride to the solution is advisable. The blood pressure, weight, and results of urinalysis should be recorded at intervals, but not necessarily daily, and qualitative control of the adrenocortical activation may be obtained by measuring the fall in circulating eosinophiles, which in normal subjects under intravenous