368 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



at each end, and zygospores. They are extremely resistant to external 

 influences, though methylen-blue is quickly toxic. The thallophyte is 

 easily cultivated on the ordinary media. 



The author has found that the presence of the parasite is so constant 

 that during the past two years he has searched in vain for a specimen 

 of blood in any warm-blooded animal which is free from it. 



Lophophyton gallinse.* — MM. L. Matruchot and Ch. Dassonville 

 describe a dermatomycosis of fowls which they find is caused by a fungus 

 called Lophophyton (and also Epidermophytoii) gallinse. The disease 

 manifests itself as white patches on the comb and wattles, and from 

 these becomes generalised over the surface of the body after the manner 

 of ringworm, and may also affect the intestinal tube. Microscopical 

 examination shows the presence of a fungus composed of a mycele con- 

 sisting of short joints with 3-4 cells. Pure cultures were easily ob- 

 tained on most media. The mycele exhibits terminal and intercalary 

 chlamydospores, the latter being cylindrical or spherical and the former 

 fusiform. 



The authors are of opinion that Lophophyton gallinse is a Gymnoasc 

 which appears to have lost the power of producing ascospores and 

 lateral chlamydospores (conids), but has retained that of forming inter- 

 calary and terminal chlamydospores. It should be placed at one 

 extremity of a Ctenomyces series, being connected therewith through 

 Trichophyton, Microsporon, and Achorion. 



Blastomycetes of Carcinoma, f — The researches of Dr. K. W. Mon- 

 sarrat were undertaken to confirm, if possible, the observations of 

 Sanfelice, Roncali, Plimmer, and others, on the Blastomycetes of carci- 

 noma. With regard to the arrangement of the cells, which by most 

 pathologists is considered a very important point, the author states that 

 the deposits in animals produced by inoculation of pure cultures of the 

 Blastomycetes did not exhibit any alveolar arrangement or any appear- 

 ances resembling the eudotheliomata in man. |No description of the 

 histological appearances of the cancers, from which the Blastomycetes 

 were isolated is given ; they are merely stated to be carcinomata of 

 breast and uterus. Intraperitoneal injections produced nodules on the 

 serous membrane, and secondary deposits in the lungs, liver, spleen, and 

 kidneys. These growths are composed of accumulations of endothelial 

 cells. The organisms occur within the cells, but most are free. 



The organisms were isolated on glucose-agar, but were afterwards 

 cultivated on wort-agar, wort-bouillon, neutral-gelatin, neutral-agar, 

 neutral-bouillon, and potato. On wort-agar and wort-bouillon the organ- 

 ism grew aerobically at 37° C. On potato the growth is dark brown after 

 forty-eight hours, and development is better under anaerobic than under 

 aerobic conditions. In the former case the growth is white, in the latter 

 brown ; the reverse is the case on agar. For staining, carmin in some 

 form was used, the preference being given to acetic carmin. The tissue 

 was fixed with Flemming's fluid, and the sections, first stained with 

 carmin, were placed in 1 per cent, aqueous solution of methyl-violet for 

 2 minutes, then in 0*25 per cent, picric acid, washed, mopped up, and 

 decolorised in clove oil. 



* Eev. Gen. de Bot. (Morot), xi. (1899) pp. 429-44 (2 pis. and 11 figs.), 

 t Proc. Roy. Soc, lxvi. (1900) pp. 58-60. 



