In 1886 Weil1 described four cases characterized by acute febrile symptoms, rapid enlargement of the liver and spleen, jaundice, and renal disturbances. After the symptoms had lasted from five to eight days they disappeared slowly, but in three of the cases fever, and in two of the three all the other symptoms, returned after from one to seven days. The second attack lasted from five to six days. Weil concluded that the condition had not before been described in medical literature. Since that time numerous cases have been described, and the question whether the disease is novel or not has been extensively discussed.
Fiedler2 described a similar condition occurring in butchers, in the summer time, and he considers jaundice the one constant symptom. The first fatal case was reported by Brodowski and Dunin3. In addition to parenchymatous degeneration of the liver, spleen, and kidneys, there was a