Contributions to the Study of Pemphigus

A COMPREHENSIVE survey of the records of patients seen at the Mayo Clinic who had probable diagnoses of pemphigus vulgaris and other serious bullous dermatoses was made. It was determined from histologic study that a good correlation was present between the phenomenon of acantholysis and the subsequent course of patients who died of pemphigus vulgaris.1 During the past three years, special studies have been made at the Clinic with regard to patients who had pemphigus and other severe bullous disorders; these studies have included comprehensive clinical examinations, routine laboratory tests, and, especially, histologic, cytologic, bacteriologic, and chemical investigations of the bullae as they occurred naturally and were produced artificially. The data so accumulated have thrown light on the pathologic physiology of the formation of bullae. These studies will be presented in two parts: (1) cytology of spontaneous bullae and (2) observations on the formation of artificial bullae. CYTOLOGY