Page:Skin Diseases of Children.djvu/33

Rh kerionic form of ringworm. The suppuration often loosens the hair, and in these cases complete baldness is more frequently found than the stubble-like growth of hair which characterizes the ordinary form of the disease. According to recent observations, this form of ringworm is due to a special fungus which also affects the lower animals.

In favus of the scalp there are no broken hairs found as upon the discs of ringworm, and the diagnosis is usually based upon



the presence of the minute yellow, cup-shaped crusts which develop at the orifices of the hair follicles. When these are allowed to multiply, a thick, pale-yellow, friable crust forms, as is seen in the well-marked case (Fig. 9) which was originally published in the author's "Photographic Illustrations of Skin Diseases." Much has been said about the peculiar odor of favus as a basis of diagnosis. While it is true that in a neglected case, where the crusts have accumulated, a keen scent combined with a vivid imagination may perceive a fragrance which is