Infantile acne is uncommon; only 29 children received this diagnosis at a Leeds dermatology clinic over a period of 25 years (

). The acne was mostly on the cheeks and the median age of onset was 9 months (range 6–16 months). It was assessed as mild in seven infants, moderate in 18, and severe in four. The type of acne was inflammatory (17), comedonal (5), mixed (5), and nodular (2). Mild acne responded well to topical treatment (retinoids, benzoyl peroxide, or erythromycin). Moderate acne was treated with oral erythromycin in addition to topical treatment. Two patients had erythromycin-resistant Propionibacterium acnes and responded to trimethoprim. Treatment lasted between 6 and 40 months. One child with severe acne was treated successfully with oral isotretinoin. Scarring occurred in five children.

What do human beings have in common with rabbits, and Californian sea lions? Well, they are all prone to preterm birth after exposure to DDT. Data from the US Collaborative Perinatal Project (

) show that the risk of preterm birth increases steadily with maternal serum concentration of the DDT metabolite, DDE. There is also a direct relationship between maternal serum DDE concentration and risk of being born small-for-gestational-age. DDT was banned in industrialised countries several decades …