A fatal anaphylactic reaction to oral penicillin

Influence of Penicillin Allergic Reactions on Venereal Disease Control Programmes

“…At first serious anaphylaxis was rare following penicillin given orally, but in recent years an increasing number of cases has been recorded (Fraser, 1958;Balson, 1960;Miller, 1960;Todd, 1960), including a few fatalities (Levine, Perri, and Anthony, 1960) even in children (Mason, 1957). Anaphylaxis has even occurred from the use of lozenges containing penicillin (Gullatt, 1957) and of rectal suppositories (Halpern, 1960).…”