38 
from  this  reaction  a  decisive  result,  knowing 
what  succeeds  with  similar  and  closely  related 
forms  of  mycosis,  as  with  tuberculosis  due  to 
KOCH’s  bacillus,  leprosy,  syphilis,  etc.  We 
have  not  yet  used  the  reaction,  on  a  larger 
scale,  in  diseases,  produced  by  known  fungi. 
We  tried  it,  with  negative  result,  in  one  con¬ 
firmed  and  fatal  case  of  adenomycosis  and 
in  another  of  sporotrichosis. 
Co-reactions  may  not  be  wholly  absent 
in  the  Oïdium  brasiliense.  GOUGEROT,  in 
1911,  carefully  studied  this  matter  and  con¬ 
cluded  from  undoubted  facts  the  existence  of 
co-reactions  with  mycotic  sensibilisations.  In 
the  disease,  we  are  studying,  the  intrader- 
moreaction,  having  the  character  of  a  bio¬ 
logical  test,  is  not  expected  to  be  more 
than  a  relative  reaction,  a  diagnostical  ele¬ 
ment;  it  may  indicate,  but  not  warrant  the 
existence  of  oidiosis. 
Besides  this  reaction,  we  experimented 
the  fixation-test  for  Oidium  brasiliense.  While 
the  specific  spore-agglutination  failed,  we 
obtained  remarkable  results  with  the  reac¬ 
tion  of  BORDET-GENGOU.  Ours  was  the 
classical  method,  used  for  such  tests.  The 
antigen  was  obtained  by  triturating  a  fun¬ 
gus  culture  of  about  30  days  in  physiolo¬ 
gical  saltsolution  (8,5  0/00).  The  age  and 
the  origin  do  not  affect  the  result  of  the  test. 
We  prepared  large  quantities,  which  were 
kept  in  the  ice  chest.  The  emulsion  was 
mixed  and  rich.  The  trituration  was  very  ca¬ 
refully  done,  so  as  to  avoid  clots,  always  em¬ 
barrassing.  There  was  no  necessity  to  filter 
the  emulsion.  The  preparations,  needed  for 
the  tests,  the  experiments  and  the  technica* 
details  do  not  belong  to  this  paper.  Only, 
after  obtaining  reliable  results,  did  we  proceed 
to  the  test  with  human  sera. 
By  substituting,  in  table  2,  the  column 
“suspected  serum”  for  that  of  “normal  serum”., 
we  get  inverse  results,  that  is  hemolysis. 
The  result  is  the  same,  if,  instead  of  normal 
serum,  we  use  sera  of  patient  with  syphilis, 
tuberculosis  etc. 
We  obtained  100  o/o  of  positive  results 
in  the  cases  of  oidiosis.  We  believe,  howe¬ 
ver,  that  larger  number  of  observations  may 
give  us  feebly  positive  results  in  absence  of 
oidiosis  (especially  in  other  forms  of  my¬ 
cosis).  It  is  only  a  question  of  degree.  The¬ 
refore  an  exact  dosage  was  indispensable 
for  a  reliable  test. 
Co-fixations,  in  this  oidiosis,  happily 
will  not  be  a  rare  exception,  but  only  ano¬ 
ther  example  in  mycology.  We  see  co-fixa¬ 
tion  between  the  sporotricha,  discomyces, 
endomyces,  etc.  In  order  to  show  the  degree, 
at  which  we  arrived  in  these  matters,  we 
copy  the  words  of  BEURMANN  &  GOU¬ 
GEROT,  who  say,  in  reference  to  patients 
with  sporotrichosis:  “It seems  that  the  sim¬ 
ple  presence  of  a  saprophytical  yeast  in  the 
throat  (a  very  common  fact,  especially  in 
consumption)  is  enoygh  to  produce,  in  cer¬ 
tain  cases,  a  reaction  of  mycotic  fixation. 
Etiology. 
We  did  not  study  this  chapter  thoroughly, 
but  the  facts,  minutely  described  in  the  pre¬ 
ceding  lines,  suffice  to  guide  the  observer. 
Anginae  caused  by  the  Oidium  brasiliense , 
the  penetration  of  the  fungus  by  the  muco¬ 
sa,  intact  or  not,  the  lesions  of  the  mesen¬ 
teric  and  thoracic  lymphglands  suffice  for 
showing  the  way. 
The  fungus,  living  free  and,  perhaps,  as 
a  saprophyte  in  the  nasal  and  buccal  cavi¬ 
ties  or  in  the  gastro-iniestinal  tube,  may,  in 
certain  conditions,  defeat  the  organic  resis¬ 
tance  and  become  a  cause  of  disease. 
In  a  paper,  published  in  1914,  HAS¬ 
TINGS  showed,  with  special  care,  the  way 
of  natural  distribution  of  the  fungi,  and  par¬ 
ticular  of  one  group.  Accompanying  this 
minute  exposition,  one  may  get  an  idea  of 
how  far  this  distribution  extends  and  won¬ 
der,  perhaps,  that  the  diseases,  caused  by 
fungi,  are  not  more  numerous.  In  the  special 
case  of  oidiosis  there  are  more  than  suffici¬ 
ent  reasons  for  referring  it  to  a  fungus,  pri¬ 
mitively  free  or  parasitical  on  plants.  Oidia 
or  allied  fungi  are,  for  instance,  observed, 
with  extraordinary  abundance  on  oaktrees.  In 
the  sporotrichosis  we  find  the  same  fact  repea¬ 
ted.  The  sporotricha,  pathogenic  to  man  and 
