Scleroderma, as is well known, exists in a circumscribed form (morphea, localized scleroderma, sclerodermaen bandes) and as a diffuse type (scleroderma diffusum), in cases of which involvement of the hands (sclerodactylia) may be a prominent feature. Localized scleroderma is a benign process which may heal spontaneously and which does not lead to any disturbance of the organism as a whole, even when the involvement is of wide extent. Ehrmann and Brünauer,1who made an exhaustive study of scleroderma, stated that this type may involve a considerable portion of the body though the plaques remain sharply bordered and distinct from one another, a feature to be contrasted to the findings in diffuse scleroderma, in which there are no well marginated plaques. Diffuse scleroderma is a severe, slowly progressive process which may involve not only the skin but all the connective tissues of the body. As a rule it