Leishmaniasis americana as observed in the Panama Canal Zone is a serious disease. It is not self limited but is progressive and destructive. Present treatment is prolonged, and recurrences are not uncommon. As the opportunity recently presented itself to treat a patient with this disease with penicillin, I wish to report my observations.
REPORT OF CASE
A 52 year old brown Panamanian man entered Gorgas Hospital on April 12, 1944, with a large ulcerated lesion of the face. He stated that this had started on the bridge of the nose about six weeks previously. He was employed in the Canal Zone as a carpenter and lived in a small rural community just outside the Zone.
The lesion involved the entire surface of the nose and extended laterally on each cheek. The ulcerated area was raw and granulomatous and measured 6.5 cm. from the bridge of the nose to the nares