REPORTS on the effectiveness of hydrocortisone ointments in the treatment of selected diseases of the skin have already been published.* Among the dermatoses treated with these preparations, atopic dermatitis responded very favorably in a large percentage of cases. This favorable response was also reported to occur in the infantile form of atopic dermatitis ("infantile eczema") in the few instances that the hydrocortisone ointments were used in patients 2 years of age or younger. These encouraging results, together with the advantages offered by a clean, odorless, nonstaining, nonstinging, apparently nontoxic ointment such as hydrocortisone ointment prompted us to extend the evaluation of this remedy to additional cases of infantile eczema.
The present study was undertaken as a joint project of the Dermatologic Service and the Pediatric Service of the University Hospital and was carried out in the special clinic for infantile eczema which had been in operation in the latter service