Treatment of Pneumococcic Corneal Lesions

SPECIFIC TREATMENT The specific treatment of pneumococcic corneal ulcers has generally been unsuccessful. During the past four decades various forms of therapy have been enthusiastically proposed, only later to be proved of little value. The specific remedies may be conveniently divided into three groups: (1) biologic preparations, (2) chemicals other than sulfanilamide and its derivatives and (3) sulfanilamide and its derivatives, particularly sulfapyridine (2- [paraaminobenzenesulfonamido]-pyridine). 1. Biologic Remedies. —This group includes polyvalent and typespecific antipneumococcus horse serums and the more recently developed type-specific antipneumococcus rabbit serums. Also included are the antipneumococcus vaccines and bacteriophage. Romer 1 in 1902 first advocated the use of antipneumococcus horse serum in the treatment of corneal ulcers. His recommendation was on the basis of experimentation with rabbits. The clinical results, however, have never been impressive, as has been pointed out by numerous authors, including Axenfeld, 2 Lawford, 3 Verhoeff, 4 Lehrfeld, 5 Cheyney, 6 Wright,