Bloody nasal discharge, particularly when it has been persistent, is so often associated with diphtheritic inflammation and foreign body that little attention is usually paid to other possibilities. The importance of ruling out diphtheria is obviously of prime concern. A foreign body, though requiring removal, is fraught with less immediate serious consequences. The possibility of rarer conditions, such as the granulomatous infections—syphilis and tuberculosis—must always be considered.
The following case is of more than usual interest; first, because of the rarity of occurrence of this condition (only one previous case having been mentioned,1 to my knowledge) and second, because of the ease with which the diagnosis can be made and confirmed, if only the condition is kept in mind.
CASE REPORT
History.—D. M., a boy, aged 3 years, of Italian parentage, was admitted to the children's medical division of Bellevue Hospital, on the night of Oct. 27, 1927.