Methemoglobinemia not caused by drugs or exogenous poisons is a relatively rare condition. A case of "idiopathic" methemoglobinemia in a 2 week old infant is presented in which prompt disappearance of cyanosis followed the intravenous administration of methylthionine chloride U. S. P. (methylene blue).
REPORT OF A CASE
B. J. T., a 2 week old white girl, was referred to the St. Louis Children's Hospital from Farber, Mo., on Feb. 15, 1939, because of cyanosis first noted a week before admittance. The family history revealed the parents and 1 sibling living and well. The mother, who had been in good health during the pregnancy, affirmed that she had taken no medicine of any nature for at least three months before the birth of the baby. No relative was known to have suffered from prolonged or intermittent cyanosis.The patient, weighing about 3,500 Gm., was born at home after an easy