Page:Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, volume 1.djvu/305

Rh 1905).—The fungus cannot be grown on Sabouraud's medium or any other media I have tried. The mycelial tubes do not show a double contour, are not very straight; they are often banana shaped. The segments of the mycelium are all separated; the mycelial spores are roundish and are shed without forming a filament by their union. They are of various sizes.

Historical-Geographical Distribution.—The first reference to this disease is found in Alibert's Atlas, 1832. Fox in 1844 described it under the name of "Gune." He observed it in the Gilbert Islands, and "Gune" was the term used by the natives to indicate it (Gune=skin.) It is to Manson that we owe the first scientific description of the disease and the discovery of its fungus : he introduced the term Tinea imbricata, under which the disease is now generally known. Hanson's researches have remained classical. Further researches were made by Turner, Koniger, MacGregor, and more recently by Tribondeau, Nieuwenhuis, and others. The disease is extremely common in Fiji and many other of the Pacific Islands : it is found in the Philippine Islands, in Southern China, Tonkin, Malay Peninsula, and Java. Lately the distribution of the disease has much extended : several cases have been seen by me in Ceylon and Southern India, in which countries the affection was believed to be non-existent. Cases have also been reported from Brazil and other parts of tropical America.

Clinical Signs.—In a well-marked case the skin of practically the whole body is covered with round patches, each of which presents several concentric scaly rings. The scales are flaky, resembling tissue-paper, dry, of a dirty greyish colour, and slightly curled. If the scales are removed, rings of concentric circular dark lines remain visible. The number of rings forming the patch varies.