DERMATITIS FRAMBŒSIFORMIS. F. SAUERBERGER (_Archiv f. Derm. u.
Syph._, October, 1904, lxxii, p. 3).
In this contribution the writer describes an unusual case which occurred
in Professor Janovsky’s clinic at Prague. The patient was a coal-miner,
aged 18 years. At the age of 14 he began work in a mine and soon
afterwards he suffered from a severe attack of furunculosis, which
persisted for a year. As it got steadily worse he had to leave his work
for a time. When he was able to work again he got employment in another
mine. After some time he went to the original mine and the furunculosis
returned rapidly and he was again compelled to leave work. He blamed bad
drinking-water as the cause of it. Several other miners in the same pit
were similarly affected and among them was the patient’s father. Soon
after leaving work for the second time the pustular lesions began to be
replaced by raised papillomatous masses which were especially
well-marked about the face and neck. The eyelids, forehead, tip of the
nose, nasal orifice, lips, chin, and left side of the cheek became
covered with crusted papillomatous lesions. A few similar lesions
developed on the body in the inguinal regions, and both the cervical and
inguinal glands were enlarged. A microscopical examination of one of the
lesions showed a proliferation of the interpapillary processes, and a
dense cellular infiltration in the papillary and sub-papillary layers,
consisting chiefly of leucocytes and mast-cells and dilatation of the
capillaries. The lesions did not react well to local treatment, but
eventually with tonics and by persevering with local remedies a cure
resulted. There was no history or evidence of syphilis. The disease was
similar in many respects to tropical frambœsia or yaws, and corresponded
closely to a case which Lewin described as sporadic frambœsia.