CUTANEOUS TUBERCULOSIS: ITS RELATION TO THE IMMUNE ALLERGIC STATE

Tuberculosis of the skin is relatively rare in comparison with other forms of tuberculosis. Even in the countries in which lupus vulgaris is most frequently seen, the proportion of it in relation to pulmonary and surgical tuberculosis is small. If in spite of that fact tuberculosis of the skin is made a center of attention for research, many fundamental facts, especially immune biologic features, will be found by clinical and experimental work. It is easy to understand that in the skin far more than elsewhere there is a better possibility of recognizing the relations between the clinical picture and these allergic reactions. Moreover, the skin plays an important role in allergy and immunity. I remember the close relations between the reticulo-endothelial system and the skin, the research work concerning the dermatophytons done by Bloch and that regarding esophylaxis of Erich Hoffmann and his students. Furthermore, the conception of allergy