E. M., a night watchman, aged 56, had had a serious fall six years before examination, after which he developed varicose veins on the left leg. He had received injection treatment, and later a ligation of the saphenous vein was done. A year before examination he developed severe cramps in the left foot on walking. The pain was relieved by rest. When he was seen, June 12, 1928, there was no pulsation of the dorsalis pedis and posterior tibial arteries on either side. The pulsation of the left popliteal artery was questionable. There was no rubor in the dependent position.
Roentgenograms of both legs revealed sclerotic vessels. There was a diffuse osteoperiostitis of the left tibia, suggesting a syphilitic process. The blood sugar was 96 mg. per hundred cubic centimeters of blood. The Wassermann reaction was negative both in the blood and in the spinal fluid. The histamine test1 was negative below