[About a note published in 1926 on a BCG vaccine trial in leprosy treatment]

By 1926, two French physicians working in Indochina, R. Pons and L. Chastel, have suggested to treat leprosy by subcutaneous injections of bacillus Calmette-Guerin. This treatment appeared efficient since the lepromatous lesions quickly regressed and the Hansen bacillus disappeared from the nasal mucus. These results were quickly confirmed by other authors. They were all more appreciated than, at this time, the Chaulmoogra oil and its products, the only available drugs, were poorly efficient against the disease. Nevertheless, although not a panacea, the BCG therapy allowed to relieve these unfortunate patients until the beginning of the 1950's when an effective treatment by sulfones was at length available.