DERMATITIS FROM INDUSTRIAL CONTACT WITH NICOTINIC ACID

Such pharmacologic work on nicotinic acid as has been reported has shown it to be a comparatively inert substance, aside from its specific effect in pellagra. A flushing of the skin with a sensation of warmth has been observed after its administration either intravenously or by mouth.¹ Rachmilewitz and Glueck₂ described the occurrence of an urticarial dermatitis with flushing of the face and severe itching in a patient with pellagra after he had received two 50 mg. doses of nicotinic acid orally. Chen, Rose and Robbins³ determined the lethal dose for dogs to be 2,000 mg. per kilogram of body weight over a period of from eight to ten days—an enormous quantity compared with the therapeutic dose. These investigators found no irritant effect from 1 per cent solution of nicotinic acid injected intradermally. The following cases indicate that nicotinic acid is capable of producing a transient dermatitis