Penicillin in Ophthalmia Neonatorum

In an earlier communication (Sorsby and Hoffa, 1945) it was shown that penicillin locally is highly efficacious in ophthalmia neonatorum.Consistent results could be obtained when drops in a concentration of 2,500 units per ml.were used, lower concentrations being rather erratic in their effect.The frequency of application was also shown to be of significance (Sorsby, 1945a(Sorsby, , 1945b)).Clinical cure was obtained more readily when drops were used at half-hourly instead of at hourly intervals, and readier still when the intervals were reduced to five minutes.Any tendency to pus formation was then generally suppressed within half an hour to three hours (by the instillation of six to 30 applications).When there was no longer any discharge, instillation of penicillin drops was continued at half-hourly intervals for six to 12 hours.At the end of this time a clinical cure was usually obtained, and penicillin was continued hourly for 12 hours and two- hourly for a further 24 hours.It was found that all the common causal organisms of ophthalmia neonatorum, in- cluding the virus of inclusion blennorrhoea, responded to penicillin, though there appeared to be a varying degree of susceptibility of the different exciting organisms.The present series of 232 cases were observed at the ophthalmia neonatorum unit at White Oak Hospital from May 8, 1945, to March 10, 1947.Local Treatment with Penicillin in Watery Solution at Five-minute IntervalsTo the 25 previously reported cases treated at five-minute intervals 30 more can now be added.Table I sets outTABLE I.-Commercial Penicillin 2,500 Units per ml. at Five-minute Initervals Initially.Time taken for Clinical Cure: in Relation to Severity and Distribution of the Affection No. of Clinical Cure in Hours for Each Case Cases Mild Unilateral 2 2, 1 Bilateral .. 5