“tuberculoderma” a Brief Review Together with Statistical Analysis and Observations

A brief review of the tuberculosis of the skin with regard to classification, pathogenesis and bacteriology is made. A statistical analysis of the hospital records for 8 years comprising of 336 cases is made and various aspects discussed. It is shown that although skin tuberculosis is rare in the tropics, it forms a fairly a good proportion of the non-pulmonary tuberculous affections. The need to spot primary foci of tuberculosis which account for the cutaneous lesions is emphasized. It is shown that in the inoculation type of tuberculosis trauma is most often the predisposing factor. The study exemplifies the fact that face is not the common site of affection in lupus vulgaris in the tropics. The poor results of local treatment are completely transformed when intra-lesional injections of INH are given along with the other forms of treatment.