in Heroin Addicts

B \CTERIAL ENDOCARDITIS is a frequent complication of heroin addiction, es-pecially in addicts taking the drug by the "mainline " or intravenous route. Hussey and Katz found an incidence of 8 per cent in 102 addicts with a variety of infections (1). In 7 the causative microorganism was a staphylococcus, and autopsy in the 4 patients who died revealed infection of the tricuspid valve. These patients were char-acterized clinically by a triad of heroin addiction, septicemia, and pulmonary in-farction in the absence of peripheral venous disease. Murmurs and other physical find-ings characteristic of tricuspid insufficiency were absent, although autopsy revealed ex