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A total of 120 consecutive patients with pustular and cystic acne vulgaris were selected for study. Patients were assigned a placebo and a tetracycline medication in a random method. Of the 53 patients who were given tetracycline, 45 showed some response, which was fair in 19 and excellent in 26. Of the 55 patients who received placebo, 24 showed no response while 31 showed some improvement. No side effects were reported. The difference in response between the two groups is statistically significant. It is concluded that administration of 250 mg. tetracycline four times daily, even for periods as short as two weeks, enhances the likelihood of improvement of cystic or pustular acne vulgaris.

The purpose of this study was to determine under carefully controlled clinical conditions the relative anti-inflammatory and anti-pruritic action of betamethasone as compared with prednisone and a placebo. A total of 130 consecutive patients with atopic dermatitis, primary irritant dermatitis, nummular eczema, allergic eczematous contact dermatitis, sweat retention, seborrheic dermatitis and pruritus were selected for study. Under the conditions of this clinical trial, the samples indicated a difference in anti-inflammatory and anti-pruritic response to the therapeutic agents used. The difference between betamethasone and the placebo was highly significant, and the difference in these measured responses was studied on the basis of a careful evaluation and statistically. The result of this study corroborates statistically our clinical impression regarding the therapeutic effect of betamethasone.

A total of 379 patients with pustular and cystic acne vulgaris were selected for study in three groups. Each group was assigned one of the following medications: benzyl penicillin, erythromycin, sulfadimethoxine, or placebo; these were to be compared with tetracycline, a medication whose effectiveness was previously demonstrated in this type of acne. The study revealed a larger number of favourable responses to tetracycline and erythromycin than to sulfadimethoxine. Sulfadimethoxine, however, produced a greater number of favourable responses than did the benzyl penicillin or the placebo; the last-named had equivalent results.