My interest in this lesion dates back one year or more, during which time I have been able to demonstrate that the primrose plant has been the exciting cause of at least ten cases of dermatitis. Like other American dermatologists I believe that this form of dermatitis is far from uncommon and is on the increase, probably owing to the growing popularity of the plant.
The Primula obconica seems to have been imported into Europe from China in 1883. Several years later it made its appearance in America, and since then several dermatologists in this country have made it and its resulting dermatitis the subject of some interesting papers. Foerster,1 Zeisler2 and Montgomery especially have given excellent reports and clinical data of cases under their observation. All of them, however, rely on one article (Nestler's3), for their analysis of the poisonous principle of the plant. Nestler was