The Sulphonamides in the Treatment of Infections in Infancy.

Although there is now a considerable literature dealing with the use of sulphonamides in many diseases, there are few articles on their use in infancy. Some authors, e.g. Leathart (1943), Field et al. (1943), Patterson and Stewart Smith (1944), mention, sometimes in a rather unenthusiastic manner, that sulphonamides were given' but supply no details. The material of present study consists of 415 infants under the age of ten months who suffered from some infection and were, for the most part, treated with' one of the sulphonamide group of drugs. An attempt has been made to assess the value of these drugs in such infections. Meningococcal meningitis and gonorrhoeal ophthalmia have not been included. The cases were treated in Alder Hey Childrens' Hospital, Liverpool, which deals with approximately 1000 infants per annum and in Walton Hospital, Liverpool, which has a large maternity department. The latter department dealt with 3700 confinements in 1943 and one part of this investigation was made possible by the unfortunate occurrence of an outbreak of neonatal gastroenteritis.