EFFECT OF GRENZ RAYS ON LEPROUS INFILTRATIONS: REPORT OF AN ATTEMPT TO INFLUENCE LEPROUS INFILTRATIONS BY ROENTGEN RAYS OF LONG WAVELENGTH

Since there exists no specific therapy for leprosy and the results of general therapeutic measures are poor, every new case encountered makes one wish that one were able at least to influence the lesions locally. This is all the more important (1) when the aspect is particularly repulsive; (2) when the lesions tend to grow rapidly; (3) when they may cause harm to neighboring organs, and (4) when they hamper the mobility of joints. When roentgen and radium rays were first tried in the treatment of leprous nodules and infiltrations, the results were rather favorable; but soon severe damage to the surrounding skin and underlying organs was also reported. Since I knew that grenz rays were far less dangerous in this respect, it seemed worth while to try them in treatment of leprous infiltrations and to watch the response to this type of rays, all the more as on