Czerny expressed the opinion twenty years ago that eczema in breast-fed infants was due to a disturbed fat metabolism. He therefore included these cases in his so-called exudative diathesis group. Since then, many differing theories have been advanced regarding the etiology of eczema, urticaria and angioneurotic edema, each finding a measure of support. It was not known until the introduction of the protein skin tests that a definite relation between protein sensitization and these dermatoses existed. This was established by the work of Blackfan,1 Talbot,2 Strickler,3 White,4 Schloss,5 O'Keefe,6 Shannon7 and others.
The earlier investigators made the clinical observation that children with eczema were especially prone to recurrent attacks of so-called "non-infective rhinitis" and "bronchitis" or bronchial asthma. Holt8 remarked that asthma following eczema in children was not infrequent. Schloss5 stated that "a good proportion of infants or young children with