Study of antipyretic therapy in current use 315

67 children aged between 6 months and 5 years presenting to the casualty department of the Royal Children's Hospital with a fever greater than 39 5 °C rectally (39 0 'C orally) were studied. Patients were excluded if either gastroenteritis or dehydration was present, or if antibiotics were considered necessary at the time of the study. 9 children were excluded for failing to achieve a response or to complete the 4-hour period of observation as defined in the method; 1 child was excluded after a febrile convulsion had occurred during the course of the study. The patients were unclothed to the 'napkin' area and were randomly distributed into 5 treatment groups (Table I). The groups were comparable with respect to sex, age, presenting temperature, and aetiologv of fever. A single dose of antipyretic agent was used in