Report of a Fatal Case of Keratomalacia in an Infant, With Postmortem Examination

It has been known for some time that xerophthalmia and keratomalacia will develop in animals maintained on a diet deficient in fat soluble A vitamin. Cases of xerophthalmia and keratomalacia in children have also been reported for a number of years, but it is only recently that the occurrence of these conditions has been correlated with the experimental work on animals. We have had the opportunity of observing a case of keratomalacia in an infant which terminated fatally and in which we were able to obtain a complete postmortem examination. In addition to the lesions occurring in the eyes, the microscopic examination showed extensive changes in many other organs of the body. It is for this reason that this case seems of especial interest. REPORT OF CASE History. —M. K., a girl, white, aged 5 months, born at full term after a normal delivery, and weighing at birth 6½ pounds