PNEUMOCOCCIC ENDOCARDITIS

Abstract

Pneumococcic endocarditis is considered a relatively rare condition, although a review of the literature discloses numerous case reports of the disease. Osler,¹ Netter,² Preble,³ Menetrier,⁴ Locke⁵ and Thayer⁶ have reported on series of personally observed patients or on collected reports of cases. In 1927 Goldstein and Goldstein⁷ reported 8 cases of pneumococcic infection in which endocarditis was noted post mortem, although the cause of the endocarditis remained in doubt in several instances. Subsequently, other authors⁸ have reported isolated cases or small groups of cases of pneumococcic endocarditis, the diagnosis having been made by inference, by bacteriologic methods or by histologic study of the vegetation. The present report is based on a study of 19 patients with pneumococcic endocarditis, 17 of whom were observed by me. While the presentation deals largely with the incidence, predisposing factors, clinical data, methods of treatment and necropsy observations, an attempt is also