PSEUDO-PARASITES. 235 



elongated, slightly entangled filaments, which exhibited a wall, a 

 channel, and contents, not being acted upon by vinegar, hydro- 

 chloric acid, and caustic potash, the latter of which destroyed the 

 link existing between them, stopped up the channel, and caused 

 great pain, which ceased with its removal. Strahl thinks that 

 he probably tore off the roots of the plant which were seated in 

 the ductus ; in which case, however, the fungus ought to have 

 grown again. Strahl afterwards thought that they were merely 

 the remains of vegetable food ; or, what I think more likely, 

 cotton-threads, which the person used against toothache, imbued 

 with various remedies. 



3. Robin mentions that Von Siebold at one time viewed the 

 dust of the blossoms of Orchidacese, which had fallen on certain 

 Hymenopterse and Lepidopterae, as cryptogamic parasites, which 

 was, however, contradicted by Schlechtendahl, and Von Siebold 

 retracted his view at a later period. I would warn all observers 

 against similar misconceptions of the fungi on man, and may be 

 allowed to relate the following case. A robust child, of one and 

 a half year, had a moist skin disease on the left upper-arm 

 I examined for spores of vegetable parasites, but was unable to 

 find any ; but I frequently discovered in the crust which had 

 been lifted off a body resembling a receptaculum filled with 

 spores, arid which was not changed by treating it with caustic 

 potash. After searching for several days, I discovered at last 

 that the mother of the child had used the seeds of club-moss 

 (Lycopodiacese) as dusting-powder, without my knowing it, and 

 I recognised at once these bodies as the spore of a Lycopodium. 

 It is, therefore, necessary that medical practitioners should pay 

 particular care and attention to the dusting-powders, such as 

 starch-powder, See., used by the people, or they may run the 

 chance of discovering new parasites where there are none. Other 

 seeds and spores of similar minuteness, or the pollen of flowers, 

 are likely to be mistaken for parasites, when persons who move 

 about in forests and in the open fields come in contact with the 

 blossoming or fructifying plants, and when they are attacked by 

 moist eruptions, forming scales or scabs on the parts of the body 

 which are left uncovered. 



Vegetable Parasite from the Vagina. 



A case of diphtheritic inflammation of the intestine was observed 

 at the Lying-in Hospital at Dresden by Professor Dr. Grenser. 



