PENICILLIN-SILVER NITRATE PROPHYLAXIS AGAINST GONORRHEAL OPHTHALMIA OF THE NEWBORN

Abstract

After Crede's¹initial introduction of silver nitrate as a prophylaxis against ophthalmia neonatorum in 1881, the incidence of this disease and its complications in the newborn infant diminished markedly. This was especially true of gonococcic conjunctivitis. However, despite this significant reduction, neonatal gonorrheal ophthalmia continues to present a problem today, especially in populated areas where there is a high incidence of gonorrheal infection. The persistence of this disease in particular has led to much criticism during recent years concerning the efficacy of the continued use of silver nitrate as a prophylactic agent. Extensive investigation is now under way in an effort to discover either an adequate substitute or a suitable supplement. With the advent of the newer bacteriostatic and antibiotic compounds, such as the sulfonamides and penicillin, this search has become more intensified. In 1943 at Harlem Hospital, Gleich and his associate²introduced a simplified method of treatment