Ciii. Kaposi's Varicelliform Eruption

Five cases have been observed the features of which conform to the details of the varicelliform eruption as described by Kaposi.1Because of the supposed rarity of this disease and the disagreement concerning its causation and classification, a report and a discussion of these cases were deemed worth while. Some authors consider the disease to be a form of eczema vaccinatum; one writer2recently proposed a new title, dermatitis vaccinica, to include all the allied processes, namely, eczema vaccinatum, generalized vaccinia, pustulosis acuta varioliformis3and Kaposi's varicelliform eruption. Study of these 5 cases leads us to believe that this striking eruption is unique and deserves to maintain its identity as a separate disease. Investigation indicates that the etiologic agent is a virus, probably a strain of the virus of herpes simplex. REPORT OF CASES Case1.—M. L., a 20 year old