Calcification occurring in the skin, subcutaneous tissues and in the deeper structures, where calcium deposits are not normally found, is referred to in medical literature as calcinosis. In 1907, Reines1 published the findings of a case of calcinosis under the title, "Petrificatio cutis circumscripta." Versé,2 in 1912, described a case of calcinosis, calling the condition "calcinosis universalis," since the calcification involved not only the skin but also the deeper structures. Recently Steinitz3 published a comprehensive review of the literature dealing with this type of abnormal calcification. He groups the 105 cases that he has gathered from the literature, including a case of his own, according to the classification suggested by Reines1 and Versé.2 Of these 105 cases he finds that 71 may be listed as calcinosis circumscripta and 34 as calcinosis universalis.
The reasons for this classification may be summarized as follows: 1. The abnormal