Epidermolysis bullosa in the newborn.

Epidermolysis bullosa is an intractable skin condition characterized by the development of vesicles and bullae spontaneously or as a result of minimal trauma. It is usually hereditary and appears to be due to a congenital defect of skin structure. It has been divided into a simple or non-scarring type inherited as a Mendelian dominant trait and a dystrophic or scarring variety of greater severity, in which the mode of inheritance is variable. Both forms may occur in infancy, and in addition Herlitz (1935) has described a further type which is invariably fatal and very rare. Since relatively little has been published on this disease in the neonatal period in this journal, six cases are being presented which have been seen recently at hospitals in Edinburgh. Cases 1, 2 and 3 are examples of the rare Herlitz type, and Cases 4, 5 and 6 of the more common dystrophic variety.