PENICILLIN IN MALARIA

To the Editor:— In his letter concerning penicillin in the treatment of malaria published inThe Journal, March 12, page 734, Dr. Deshmukh comments that had I read a reprint of his article (Deshmukh, P. L.: Treatment of Relapsing Malaria with Specific Antimalarial Drugs in Combination with Penicillin, Indian M. Gaz. 82 : 511 [Sept.] 1947). I should not, perhaps, have rushed to your columns with my letter published inThe Journal, Aug. 28, 1948, page 1632. In my letter I stated that there is evidence to prove that penicillin does not affect malaria. After reading his article again, a reprint of which Dr. Deshmukh kindly sent me, I still believe that his conclusions that penicillin acts on the preerythrocytic stage of malaria are unfounded. Dr. Deshmukh cites 2 cases in support of his thesis. One patient, a woman 34 years old, seen during an acute attack of malaria with a