Under the term tropical ulcers so many types of cutaneous lesions may be included that it will be necessary at the outset to limit my remarks to certain forms of ulcerative process. It seems wisest, therefore, to exclude such forms of disease as tuberculosis, syphilis, yaws and leprosy. I shall confine myself to those described under the names "oriental sores," "tropical phagedena" and "veld sores," and dismiss those which have been less thoroughly discussed with a mere mention.
In studying tropical ulcers we must bear in mind that, under whatever title the processes have been described, there is so great a confusion of opinion with regard to etiology and clinical course and so meager a knowledge of histology that satisfactory classification is well-nigh impossible. This I have endeavored to take into consideration, and have chosen from among the bibliographic materials at my disposal those in which the descriptions are most