Sodium Sulphacetamide

The treatment of trachoma?which brings about total blindness and disfigurement in quite a number of people?has been greatly simplified after the advent of this drug. The whole medical treatment for it boils down to painting of the lids with 30 per cent sodium sulphacetamide?soluble?solution twice a day and applying 6 per cent ointment thrice a day. A course of sulpha-triad for ten days is very helpful. The only surgical interference it may require is peritomy in cases of severe pannus. Everyone can spot skin warts and some may feel offended if the points for diagnosis are enumerated here. Suffice to say that they are of two varieties : one is the pigmented hard horny variety varying in size with a tendency to pedunculation; the other being a smooth (shiny) fiat-topped variety. The causes attributed to these are many but the virus seems to be a reasonable certainty. Probably it is not ! (Trachoma is said to have been caused by an infection with either virus-or rickettsia bodies.) Taking for granted that sodium sulphacetamide has got a curative action in virus infection?at least in trachoma?the writer tried this drug in its ointment form (skin ointment 10 per cent manufactured by Ward Blenkinsop and Co., Ltd., London). The ointment was well rubbed into the area morning and evening every day. The hard horny type of warts responded to treatment by shrinking in size day after day. By about a fortnight's time they are all gone leaving only a small slightly pigmented area. The smooth fiat-topped variety responded by taking on a reddish complexion. These also got reduced in size and completely disappeared within two weeks.