PENICILLIN IN INFECTIONS INVOLVING THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM AND SKULL

During the past two years 37 patients with infections involving the central nervous system and skull have been treated with penicillin. Sixteen of these patients had meningitis; 10 had localized intracranial infections, including 5 of the meningitis patients and 5 without meningitis; and 25 had infections of the bones of the skull, of whom 9 also had central nervous system infections and 16 did not. MENINGITIS In the group of 16 patients with meningitis, 12 had pneumococcic meningitis, 2 had alpha hemolytic streptococcus meningitis, 1 had staphylococcic meningitis and 1 had a meningitis with a gram-negative rod believed to be Alkaligenes fecalis. Pneumococcic Meningitis.— All these patients were acutely ill with temperatures of 104 to 105.8 F. The origins of the infections were acute middle ear and mastoid infection in 6 cases, pneumonia in 2, head injury with