211 



THE MEXICAN JIGGER OR "TLALZAHUATE." 



Ill No. 6, vol. IV, of "^? Estudio,^^ the organ of the "National Medical 

 Institute of Mexico (pp. 196-99), is published an interesting article by 

 Fernando Altamirano upon a larval Trombidium, known commonly 

 throughout Mexico by the Aztec name " Tlalzahuate," which signifies 

 literally " grain of earth," and which evidently closely resembles the 

 two larval forms of this genus which we described a number of years 

 ago as Leptus autumnaUs and Leptus irritans. The pest is common in 

 parts of Mexico and adheres to and burrows into the skin of human 

 beings. It is reddish in color and lives upon plants, particularly upon 

 Sedges, The author describes a somewhat serious case of injury by this 

 mite to Sr. Rafael Eebollar, who spent eight days during October at 

 Tamascaltepec, and who became badly infested with the mites. Upon 

 his return to the City of Mexico his skin presented a very peculiar ap- 

 jiearance. The pathological features of the inflammation and the sub- 

 sequent ulceration are carefully described by Dr. Altamirano, together 

 with the treatment, which was principally the application of phenic 

 washes and iodoform powder. No trace of the insect could be seen in 

 any of the blisters or ulcerated spots, and the question is discussed as 

 to whether the ultimate sores were really occasioned by the "Tlalza- 

 huates." Judging from our experience with the allied species in this 

 country, the extreme inflammation and ulceration described in this case 

 was probably produced partly by the violent scratching in which the 

 patient admittedly indulged, and partly by the condition of the blood. 

 Following Dr. Altamirano's paper is a careful description of the mite 

 itself by Dr. Alfredo Duges, of Guanajuato, but without the determi- 

 nation of the siiecitic name of the adult Trombidium. The paper is 

 accompanied by a full-page plate figuring the mite and its enlarged 

 mouth-parts and tarsi. 



OBITUARY. 



Three entomologists of world-wide reputation have died during the 

 past summer. 



Dr. Hermann Burmeister, born January 15, 1807, died from the result 

 of an accident at Buenos Ayres, May 2, 1892. He was the author of 

 the well-known " Handbuch der Entomologie" and removed from Ger- 

 many to South America, where he became the Director of the Museum 

 of Natural History, Buenos Ayres, in 1861. 



In June Dr. Carl A. Dohrn died at Stettin, Germany, in the 86th year 

 of his age. Dr. Dohrn was president of the Entomological Society of 

 Stettin for upwards of forty years and during that period was the edi- 

 tor of the " Stettiner Entomologische/ Zeitung." His special work 

 was in the order Coleoptera, but he was a man of wide information. 



Major-General F. O. G. Quedenfeldt died recently in Berlin, at the 

 age of 75. He was a well-known writer upon Coleoptera and was par- 



