This is a condensed preliminary report of two years' experience with an ointment consisting of 5 per cent sulfathiazole in an oil in water type emulsion base used as a prophylaxis against impetigo and other pyodermas for 3,205 newborn infants. A report of its therapeutic use also is included.
We were led to employ this preparation because our results with all previous procedures and preparations had been unsatisfactory and because Pillsbury, of the dermatologic department of the University of Pennsylvania, recommended this particular preparation as highly efficient and unlikely to produce toxic effects.
Since 1941, when Hawking1 and Jervey2 reported on the local use of sulfonamide compounds, many papers have appeared which testify to the effectiveness of these drugs. Shaffer3 and Pillsbury4 have published excellent reviews of this material. These papers indicate that sulfathiazole ointments, among other sulfonamide compounds, are very effective against pyoderma, that the