360 The Philippine Journal of Science 1915 
the anesthetic form of leprosy, and of the four cases selected 
for treatment all quickly repaired. 
f. Perforating ulcers (Plate I, figs. 2 and 3), more particularly 
those of the hands and feet, are usually the openings for sinuses 
leading to necrotic bone, it being almost impossible to close the 
ulcers as long as the necrotic bone exists. In a few cases simple 
curettage of the bone led to speedy repair, but in cases in which 
all the bones of the foot or the hand were affected, no surgical 
interference was made, the condition usually being painless and 
the member being serviceable even in its maimed condition. Of 
the fifty-three cases treated, twelve were completely repaired, 
thirty-one improved, nine did not improve, and one died (from 
leprous cachexia). 
g. Superficial gangrene results frequently from extensive 
burns or from ulcers which are not regularly dressed. In such 
cases basic fuchsin acted promptly and efficiently. After 
twenty-four hours no odor could be detected in the wounds, and 
the progress became checked; after forty-eight hours much of 
the necrotic tissue could be curetted away; and after seventy-two 
hours evidence of repair could almost always be seen. Of the 
8 cases treated, all repaired promptly. 
h. Late gangrene (Plate II, figs. 1, 2, and 3), which sometimes 
exists several days before the patients call for assistance, 
responded satisfactorily to fuchsin treatment. Prompt curet- 
tage of the superficial necrotic tissue and the packing of the 
wound with 1 to 500 aqueous solution of basic fuchsin in most 
cases checked the progress of the disease. The treatment, 
however, was useless when the patient had already become delir- 
ious, or when hyperpyrexia existed. Of the fourteen cases 
treated, thirteen repaired and one died from septicemia. 
In this series of cases basic fuchsin as antiseptic has proved 
most satisfactory; as an epithelial and granulation tissue 
stimulant it has brought about repair in many cases which have 
resisted a host of medications. Aside from the slight burning 
sensation from the stronger solutions neither discomfort nor 
toxic effect was noted. 
As basic fuchsin proved to be of great value in the treatment 
of leprous lesions, it had been adopted as a routine medication 
even before the completion of the observations on the 132 cases 
treated experimentally. Several hundred lepers are now re- 
ceiving this treatment daily, with results approximating those 
reported in this series of cases. 
a es 
