The Clinical Use of Penicillin in Genitourinary Infections

The Oxford investigators Abraham, Florey and their associates1were the first to call attention to the fact that penicillin in high dilution possesses strong antibacterial action on cultures of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. They also described a case of an infant afflicted with Staphylococcus aureus pyelonephritis in which the urine was quickly sterilized by comparatively small doses of the drug. Herrell, Cook and Thompson2described a series of 5 cases of gonorrhea in which response to treatment was dramatic. The extreme value of this drug in the treatment of infections of the genitourinary tract was further elaborated by Mahoney and his associates.3 Because of its particular value in gonococcic infections and owing to the fact that such infections are responsible for a considerable amount of disability in the armed forces, penicillin has been used in thousands of such cases during the past year or more. Through its use many