Steroids and acute pyogenic meningitis.

On necropsy, the lungs were pinkish, but showed numerous areas of subpleural haemorrhage over all surfaces. There was no evidence of atelectasis. The thyroid was many times larger than normal, the enlargement being symmetrical, and the cut surface had a translucent appearance. Section: hypertrophic picture; the acini often tube-shaped, and tipped by tall epithelum. They contained scant or no colloid. There were fairly extensive areas of subarachnoid haemorrhage extending over an area from the anterior part of the parietal region to the occipital lobe; all on the lateral surface of the brain. Serial sections through the brain showed no gross abnormality. All other systems appeared normal. Though the infant's death was primarily due to subarachnoid haemorrhage, postmortem examination gave us an opportunity to observe the histology of the thyroid. It is unusual that an infant shows signs of cretinism at or shortly after birth. It seems probable that this is the result of maternal thyroxine passing across the placenta, which accounts for the euthyroid appearance in those infants who subsequently become cretinous in appearance.' Morgans and Trotter2 described a baby who appeared cretinous at birth and whose mother had taken a proprietary asthma compound during pregnancy, the infant having a goitre at birth. The goitre disappeared spontaneously. The infant described provides further evidence of the goitrogenic effects and dangers to the fetus of the antenatal consumption of proprietary asthma cures by the expectant mother.-I am, etc.,