STOSSTHERAPY IN ACUTE RESPIRATORY INFECTION IN CHILDREN

Abstract

STOSSTHERAPY is a word of Germanic origin, Stoss referring to "a thrust" or "a push." The term has been used to describe a method of treating rickets with a single massive dose of vitamin D. In a recent article (Brit. M. J., 1:487, March 1, 1958) the author "thrusts" antibacterial agents at children and compares the results with conventional treatment by antibacterial agents over a period of some days. The chief contribution of this paper is to remind the reader that careful earlier studies showed that a single massive dose of sulfonamide can be curative of pneumococcal pneumonia in children, a fact established almost 20 years ago. In the debit side is the introduction of a burdensome word in a paper remarkably devoid of appropriate documentation. Between October, 1952, and October, 1954, 174 children with acute lower-respiratory-tract infection were treated at the Evelina Children's Hospital of Guy's Hospital, London, with penicillin by injection or oral sulfonamide, or a combination of both. The personal preferences of no less than 14 doctors who admitted these patients dictated the decisions regarding therapy.