LEPTOMITUS UBOPHILUS. 131 



the parasites get removed from secret corners in which they are 

 lurking. The tongue should also be cleaned with the brush or 

 the scraper. 



Literature. Ant. Leeuwenhoek, ' Arcana naturae detecta/ 

 Lugd. Batav., 1722, i, 40, fig. A; Mandl, ' Recherches micro- 

 scopiques sur la composition du Tartre et des Enduits muqueux/ 

 ' Compt. rend./ xvii, p. 213 ; Remak, ' Diagnostiche und patho- 

 genische Untersuchungen/ Berlin, 1845 ; Biihlmann, Miiller's 

 'Archiv/ 1840, pp. 442 445, tab. xiii, figs. 1 6; Henle, 

 f Allgemeine Anatomic/ ii ; Bouditch, ( American Journal of 

 the Med. Sciences/ April, 1850, p. 362 ; Robin, 1. c., pp. 345 

 354 ; f Atlas/ tab. i, figs. 1, 2 ; Wedl, ' Grundziige der patholog. 

 Histologie/ (translated for Sydenham Society by Busk), pp. 

 746749. 



IV. Leptomitus urophilus. 



Family Leptomitece : " Alga cespitosce, lubricce, vel adnatce vel 

 liber&j ex trichomatibus articulatis, subtilibus achromaticis com- 

 posites" 



Genus Leptomitus : " Trichoma articulatum in apicem attenua- 

 tum, ramosum ; articuli cavi, vaginati. Spermatia (Sporidia) later- 

 alia, raro inter stitialia } epispermio pellucido cincta" 



Species L. urophilus ; Filis cespitosis, hyalinis } ramosissimis, 

 ramisque patentibus alterne subternis articulatis ; articulis diametro 

 cequalibus vel sesquiduplo longioribus. 



Robin : " Cespes hemisph&ricus, gelatinosus } altitudine 2 vel 3 

 millim. metiens. Fila primaria e puncto centrali quaquaversus 

 irradiantia ; hyalina, a basi ramosissima, vix 0'0075 mm. crassa. 

 Rami iterum atque iterum ramosij ramis patentibus. Ramuli tertii 

 ordinis terni quaternive, secundi, obtusi, 0'0030 mm. circiter 

 tequantes, sensim minores evadunt prout apicem versus, ubi ex 

 singulo articulo quandoque constant, observantur. Articuli varies 

 longitudinis ; gonidiis nullis fracti, at spatium orbicular e pellucidum 

 (an guttulam oleosam ?) in centra exhibentes" 



The nature of this parasite is still doubtful, and Robin ex- 

 presses his conviction that the genera Leptomitus and Hygrocrocis 

 are degenerated forms of fungi which cannot fructify because 

 they are withdrawn from the influence of the light. It seems, 

 indeed, more probable that these parasites have some relation to 

 cystic formations, than that they should develope in the urine, as 



