In his extensive review of the literature, McMahon1 found reports of cases of bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax in patients suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis (19), miliary tuberculosis (1), pulmonary carcinoma (4), emphysema (4), asthma (1), congenital deformity of the chest with aplasia of the lungs (1) and trauma (10). Five instances have been reported of occurrence in apparently healthy persons: 3 in Kjaergaard's2 review of the literature and 1 each by McMahon1 and Markson and Johnson.3 A review of the literature of the past eighteen years disclosed three reports,4 describing 7 cases of spontaneous pneumothorax—unilateral in each instance—complicating influenzal pneumonia and occurring from one to three weeks after the onset of the disease.
The case presented in this paper is apparently the first to be reported in which simultaneous bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax complicated influenza.4a Although the roentgenogram showing the existence of bilateral pneumothorax was not obtained before tracheotomy, nevertheless thin, translucent pleura