ISONIAZID AND STREPTOMYCIN IN THE TREATMENT OF PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS

Abstract

Clinical studies with isoniazid and related compounds have demonstrated antituberculous activity of high magnitude and thus confirmed results of in vitro and in vivo investigations. Particularly significant are the evaluations recorded by Selikoff, Robitzek, and Ornstein¹ on 166 patients with pulmonary and extra pulmonary tuberculosis treated with isoniazid or iproniazid alone, and those of Clark and co-workers² on 14 patients with miliary and meningeal tuberculosis treated with isoniazid alone. These authors suggest that preliminary studies with isoniazid and iproniazid reveal therapeutic efficacy equal or superior to that observed with streptomycin employed singly. Treatment of 61 patients with moderately or far-advanced pulmonary tuberculosis at Fitzsimons Army Hospital with 150 or 300 mg. of isoniazid alone daily for four to eight months resulted in observations essentially in accord with the views expressed above.³ Symptomatic response was uniformly favorable and was supported by objective improvement as measured by serial chest