Tuberculoid changes in leprosy. I- The pathology of tuberculoid leprosy in South Africa

ABSTRACT

1. A variety of tuberculoid leprosy seen in South Africa, which in certain respects differs from the usual, is discussed on the basis of thirteen of the sixteen cases from which biopsy specimens were obtained for histological examination, and more than twenty-five others examined less carefully. Cases of this variety are distinguished from others by South African leprologists, but not on the basis that is indicated by their histological characteristics. 2- The well-established terms "tuberculoid", as applied to a non-specific histological picture, and "tuberculoid leprosy", signifying a distinct and clinically recognizable variety of the disease, are held to be appropriate and useful. 3- A tentative clinical picture of the lesions under discussion is set up. The outstanding peculiarity of the condition is an unusual tendency to a rough, pebbled or "granular" surface, and striking linear lesions are also seen. The relatively slight sensory disturbance common in these cases is correlated with a slight degree of nerve involvement in the sections studied...