Anaphylactic Reaction Following the Oral Administration of Penicillin

Abstract

THE administration of penicillin may be followed by anaphylactic reactions. Severe reactions are not unusual after topical and parenteral administration but are rare after oral administration.Welch and his co-workers¹ surveyed antibiotic reactions in 95 general hospitals (51,000 bed capacity). They found 1 fatal reaction after the oral ingestion of 1 tablet of dibenzylethylenediaminedipenicillin (Bicillin). They were aware of 1 other anaphylactic reaction to penicillin by mouth.Eisenstadter and Hussar² reported the case of a twenty-two-year-old woman who manifested abdominal cramps, itching, pain in the hands, cold sweat and urinary incontinence ten minutes after the ingestion of 1 tablet of . . .