One hundred patients (63 males and 37 females) were patch tested. Maidmum number (32) of cases were skilled labourers, housewives (19) and manual labourers (10) Cement (24), metals (22) and foot-wear (14) constituted the major causes for dermatitis Fifty one patients showed positive patch tests with potassium dichromate. The source of chromate sensitivity in 47.03% was cement and in 33.32% metals in the wearing apparel.

Children numbering 9795 were examined. Theprevalence of leprosy among children was 7.2 per thousand. The youngest patient was 2- years-old. The ratio between boys and girls was 1.3: 1. History of contact was present in 23.9% cases. The lowest age at onset recorded was one year and eight months. The commonest type of leprosy found in this study was BT. Singl-, patch was seen in 57.7% cases. In 65.9% a single patch was present on the exposed parts. Leprosy disabillty rate was 8.5%.

Thirty six untreated cases of early syphilis comprising 10 primary and 26 secondary syphilis were included in the study. Primary syphilis depicted classical istopathological features of ulceration, exocytosis, perivascular infiltrate of lympocytes and plasma cells along with endothelial cell proliferation. Secondary syphilis, however, depicted intriguing features. Lichenoid infiltrate along with basal layer dissolution was seen in 3 and psoriasiform appearance in 1 cases. Three cases showed granulomatous reaction. One case manifesting as pruritic follicular rash had classical features on histopathology. Vascular changes were absent or inconspicuous in as many as 22.2% and 8.3% respectively.

Efficacy of multidrug therapy (MDT) for paucibacillary leprosy for 12 months was evaluated in 91 fresh cases, which included indeterminate (28 cases), tuberculoid (22) and borderline tuberculoid leprosy (41 cases). All were males and were hospitawd. The MDT consisted of rifampicin 600 mg once a month and dapsone 100 mg daily. Both drugs were given concomitantly for 12 months. At the end of 6 months, 37.2% cases remained clinically active. At the end of once year, 91.2% cases receiving MDT became inactive.

One hundred children were patch tested with 5% nickel sulphate, 0.5% potassium dichromate, 5% cobalt chloride and pure petrolatum. Seventeen children (11 having eczematous and 6 having non-eczematous dermatoses) showed positive patch test reactions to one or more metals, chromium (13%), nickel (8%) and cobalt (1%). The incidence of metal sensitivity was highger (32.5%) in the older children (8-14 years) as compared to the younger children 7 years of age (2.66%). The female children had a higher incidence of sensitivity as compared to the male children.

A six month old child presented with feeding difficulties, generalized seizures, delayed milestones, pudgy cheeks, hypopig mented, sparse and steely wool hair. Serum copper level was 6.0 mg/dl.

A 16-year-old boy with Hodgkin's dease on MOPP regimen developed generalized varicella. He was treated with oral acyclovir with good results.

A 17 year old boy had asymotomatic urticaria pigmentosa starting late in life, along with eosinophilia. There was no systemic manifestation.

A female patient had Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type II since infancy, manifesting with hyperextensible skin and ciagarette paper scars at the sites of trauma. Treatment with vitamin C 1 gm a day seemed to be useful.

A patient working in the bee-keeping department developed contact dermatitis on

A 47 year old female developed multifocal Langerhans cell granulomatosis (Hand-Schuller-Christian disease) manifesting as papulo-pustular, nodular, crusted and scaly lesions, xanthelasma, ulceration of gingival mucosa with loss of teeth, vaginal granulomatosis, diabetes insipidus, multiple osteolytic bone lesions and honeycombing of the lungs. Skin biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. Treatment with prednisolone 45 mg methotrexate 2.5 mg daily, led to regression of lesions, reduction of bone of partial clearance of lung lesions and osteolytic bone lesions. However, the patient died due to widespread nature of the disease.

An 80 year old farmer had cutaneous chromomycosis on the lateral aspect of right foot. He had associated pulmonary pathology caused by another fungus Geotrichum candidum simulating miliary tuberculosis. Complete regression of the pulmonary lesions and partial regression of the cutaneous lesions was observed with iodide therapy.

Pachyonychia congenital is an infrequent genodermatosis, characterized by nail dystrophy, hyperkeratosis of the palms and soles, follicular keratosis and leukoplakia. It was seen in two male patients aged 12 and 35 years respectively. The younger patient had nail changes, palmo-planter keratoderma, eye changes, hypotrichosis and mental retardation, while the elder one had minimal nail changes, keratoderma and leukoplakia.