DERMATITIS VENENATA AND KERATOCONJUNCTIVITIS CAUSED BY THE MANZANILLO TREE

The lesions of the skin and eyes produced by contact with the manzanillo (beach apple) tree have been observed at Gorgas Hospital for a number of years, but during the present emergency there has been an increase in the number of cases, due undoubtedly to the large influx of new civilian and military personnel who are unfamiliar with the dangers of this tropical tree. The manzanillo tree is found along the beaches throughout the Caribbean area and resembles the North American crabapple. Although the natives are well aware of its toxic properties, this tree has harrassed newcomers since the time of the early Spanish explorers. It (Hippomane mancinella L., family Euphorbiaceae) is an attractive gray-barked, round-topped tree found along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Central America and on the coasts of the West Indies, Florida and the northern parts of South America. In Jamaica and Trinidad it