Acute putrid abscess of the lung. By Harold Neuhof and Arthur SW Touroff. 1936

This 51-year-old report detailed the principles of operative treatment of acute putrid abscess of the lung in the era prior to antibiotic availability. The technical aspects of the surgical approach advocated by Neuhof and Touroff were based on careful clinical and pathological review. In an era of increasing immunosuppressive therapy, both for transplantation and the treatment of malignant disease plus the emergence of new diseases such as acquired immune deficiency disease, there may be a re-emergence of lung abscess in patients too sick to undergo resection. Hence, the technique has present applicability.