Though numerous papers have been written in Europe on traumatic necrosis of the subcutaneous fat of the new-born infant, and a great advance has been made recently as to the understanding of the etiologic factors of this condition, American literature on the subject is scarce.
In reviewing the literature, much difficulty was encountered because of the varying nomenclature and the incompleteness of data in a number of papers. In 1890, Holt, in discussing a paper by Northrup,1 related a clinical history fitting in with the condition with which we are here concerned. In 1905, Sobel2 reported a case under the name of sclerema neonatorum. Fabyan3 was first to publish a clinical report with histologic observations, under the title "Disseminated Subcutaneous Fat Necrosis, Occuring in an Infant, Without Other Lesions." In 1923, Fabyan's paper was overlooked by Farr,4 when he reported what he thought to be the