50 An Introduction to Medical Mycology 



Fox and Fowlkes found that in 48 recorded instances of ringworm of the 

 adult scalp, 32 women were affected (66 per cent). In our experience the 

 highest peak of infection is reached at age 8. The disease may occur in epi- 

 demics in schools, orphan asylums or camps or wherever a number of chil- 

 dren congregate; it is spread by direct contact with an infected person, with 

 an infected comb, barber clippers, plush (movie) seat, hat or other article or, 



TABLE 14.— Incidence of Species of Fungus Causing Nonepidemic 

 Tinea Capitis in the United States and Canada 



Authority 

 White 



Corlett 



Wende 



Beeson 



Greer wood 



Burgess 



Pardo-Castello 



Davidson and Gregory 



Cleveland 



Mook 



Weidman 



Anderson 



Smith 



Binkley 



Location 



Boston 



Cleveland 



Buffalo 



Chicago 



Boston 



Montreal 



Havana 



Winnipeg 



Vancouver 



St. Louis 



Philadelphia 

 Los Angeles 



El Paso 



Cleveland 



No. 



OF 



Cases 



M. Au- 



DOUINI, 



% 



M. Lan- 



OSUM, 



% 



Other 

 Species, 



% 



M. audouini stated to be the pre- 

 dominant organism 



40 25.0 67.5 7.5 



62 32.2 33.9 33.9 



32 

 75 

 100 

 In majority of cases acquired from 

 animals 



36 



8.3 



in case of certain types of infection, with kittens or other pets. It is inter- 

 esting that with animals, as with human beings, only the young are sus- 

 ceptible to the infection. The chief danger, then, of dissemination of the 

 infection from animals lies in young pets of unknown origin, particularly 

 kittens. Race does not appear important except that with favus most pa- 

 tients are either native-born Russian, Polish or Italian or descendants of 

 immigrants from these countries. 



(b) Types of infection.— The infecting micro-organism first invades 

 the stratum corneum, later enters the hair follicle and finally attacks either 

 the superficial or the deep parts of the hair. The cardinal symptoms of tinea 

 of the scalp are partial loss of hair in patches, breaking off and lack of 

 luster of the infected hair and varying degrees of inflammation. Atrophy 

 and scarring may follow certain types of infection. 



In most textbooks a separate section is devoted to kerion. We do not 



