SUBOCCIPITAL dermatitis is presented frequently in every clinic or office and is a disorder of ill repute in that it is usually regarded as a stubborn and nonresponsive member of that notoriously difficult family, eczema. Discussion of dermatitis of the suboccipital fossa— when spoken of at all, the disease is called lichen simplex chronicus of the nape—is almost uniformly avoided by authors of standard textbooks. Duhring merely stated that the nape is a common site for eczema in the young or the old. Savill1 offered a slightly more extensive discussion, though I disagree with her statements that "only rarely is there found a degree of moisture." She expressed the belief that the condition is largely due to the habit of scratching and said, "It provides a form of psychological relief from worry and mental tension." With reference to neurodermatitis, Barber2 stated that "the most characteristic site, perhaps, is