Herpes simplex virus infection involving the hand was first reported by H. G. Adamson in 1909. 1 Adamson H.G. Herpes febrilis attacking the fingers. Br J Dermatol. 1909; 21: 323-324 Google Scholar Numerous terms for the disease have been used 1 Adamson H.G. Herpes febrilis attacking the fingers. Br J Dermatol. 1909; 21: 323-324 Google Scholar , 2 Stern H. Elek S.D. Millar D.M. Anderson H.F. Herpetic whitlow: a form of cross-infection in hospitals. Lancet. 1959; 2: 871-874 Abstract PubMed Scopus (103) Google Scholar , 3 Gill M.J. Arlette J. Buchan K. Herpes simplex virus infection of the hand. Am J Med. 1988; 84: 89-93 Abstract PubMed Scopus (51) Google Scholar , 4 Gill M.J. Arlette J. Buchan K. Tyrell D.L. Therapy for recurrent herpetic whitlow. Ann Intern Med. 1986; 105: 631 Crossref PubMed Scopus (20) Google Scholar , 5 Hurst L.C. Gluck R. Sampson S.P. Dowd A. Herpetic whitlow with bacterial abscess. J Hand Surg. 1991; 16A: 311-314 Abstract Full Text PDF Scopus (11) Google Scholar ; however, after the seminal article by Stern et al. in 1959, 2 Stern H. Elek S.D. Millar D.M. Anderson H.F. Herpetic whitlow: a form of cross-infection in hospitals. Lancet. 1959; 2: 871-874 Abstract PubMed Scopus (103) Google Scholar the disease became widely known as herpetic whitlow. Whitlow (a synonym of felon) is a misnomer because it implies a suppurative infection of the digital pulp. 3 Gill M.J. Arlette J. Buchan K. Herpes simplex virus infection of the hand. Am J Med. 1988; 84: 89-93 Abstract PubMed Scopus (51) Google Scholar , 6 Carter S. Herpetic whitlow: herpetic infection of the digits Invited comments. J Hand Surg. 1979; 4: 93-94 Google Scholar , 7 Fowler J.R. Viral infections. Hand Clin. 1989; 5: 613-622 PubMed Google Scholar , 8 Feder H.M. Long S.S. Herpetic whitlow: clinical characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment. Am J Dis Child. 1983; 137: 861-863 Crossref PubMed Scopus (56) Google Scholar Also, viral vesicles can involve any anatomical region of the hand. 2 Stern H. Elek S.D. Millar D.M. Anderson H.F. Herpetic whitlow: a form of cross-infection in hospitals. Lancet. 1959; 2: 871-874 Abstract PubMed Scopus (103) Google Scholar , 3 Gill M.J. Arlette J. Buchan K. Herpes simplex virus infection of the hand. Am J Med. 1988; 84: 89-93 Abstract PubMed Scopus (51) Google Scholar , 7 Fowler J.R. Viral infections. Hand Clin. 1989; 5: 613-622 PubMed Google Scholar , 8 Feder H.M. Long S.S. Herpetic whitlow: clinical characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment. Am J Dis Child. 1983; 137: 861-863 Crossref PubMed Scopus (56) Google Scholar , 9 Weinstein L. Artenstein M.S. Plaut M.E. Herpes simplex virus infection of fingers (herpetic whitlow). BMQ. 1962; 13: 103-106 PubMed Google Scholar Educational Objectives •State the different types of herpes viruses. •Summarize the natural history of herpetic whitlow. •Describe the typical signs and symptoms of herpetic whitlow. •Discuss the events leading to a latency phase of herpetic infection. •List the diagnostic tests used to confirm herpetic infection. •Discuss the role of pharmacologic treatment and surgery in the management of herpetic whitlow. Earn up to 2 hours of CME credit per JHS issue when you read the related articles and take an online test. To pay the $20 fee and take this month’s test, visit http://www.assh.org/professionals/jhs. •State the different types of herpes viruses. •Summarize the natural history of herpetic whitlow. •Describe the typical signs and symptoms of herpetic whitlow. •Discuss the events leading to a latency phase of herpetic infection. •List the diagnostic tests used to confirm herpetic infection. •Discuss the role of pharmacologic treatment and surgery in the management of herpetic whitlow. Earn up to 2 hours of CME credit per JHS issue when you read the related articles and take an online test. To pay the $20 fee and take this month’s test, visit http://www.assh.org/professionals/jhs. Journal CME QuestionsJournal of Hand SurgeryVol. 36Issue 2Preview Full-Text PDF