TREATMENT OF EARLY SYPHILIS WITH PENICILLIN

Abstract

THE PUBLICATION of a report by Mahoney, Arnold and Harris. 1 in 1943 on the effectiveness of 1,200,000 units of penicillin given over an eight day period stirred the world of syphilotherapy profoundly. It was not long before other investigators published their results of treatment in early syphilis with similar amounts of the drug. Thus, Binkley and Kile 2 reported their observation on 10 patients, who had received 1,200,000 units of penicillin over varying periods of time, 7 of whom were seronegative and clinically well one year after treatment. In a recent article by the Committee on Medical Research of the Office of Scientific Research and Development and the United States Public Health Service 3 the results of treatment were given in 1,073 patients with early syphilis; 1,200,000 units of penicillin were used over a seven and one-half day period in intramuscular injections given every three hours. Of these,