350 CLINICAL BACTERIOLOGY. 



inflammatory processes in the auditory canal favors the 

 lodgment of the fungi, which not only vegetate in the 

 secretions accumulated in the external auditory canal, but 

 also penetrate the living tympanic membrane. 



PNEUMONOMYCOSES. 



Pneumonomycoses have been observed repeatedly in 

 human beings, and are due to both the aspergillus and the 

 mucor. Mold-vegetations have not rarely been found in 

 bronchopneumonic foci at autopsy, and also during life ; 

 filamentous fungi have been found in the sputum, which 

 is then sometimes characterized by a putrid odor. In 

 general the occurrence is, however, rare. 



In view of the frequency of occurrence of pathogenic 

 molds in the air, and of the abundance of opportunity 

 offered for the entrance of fungi into the lungs, it must be 

 assumed that the human pulmonary tissue possesses an 

 especially slight predisposition for molds. It has been men- 

 tioned, on the other hand, that the lungs of birds form a 

 more suitable nutrient medium for the vegetation of fila- 

 mentous fungi, and that birds not rarely succumb to spon- 

 taneous mycoses. 



The pulmonary mycosis in human beings presupposes in 

 general a primary disease, a hemorrhagic infiltration, a 

 necrosis, etc., of the pulmonary tissue. The fungi pro- 

 liferate, as a rule, only in such foci of disease. This 

 mycosis also is unattended with a tendency to extension, 

 and it is unassociated with evidences of general infection. 

 When the primary disease undergoes recovery, the tissues 

 are quite capable of disposing of the mycotic vegetations. 

 Pneumonomycosis often terminates in recovery. 



VISCERAL MYCOSES. 



Mold-vegetations in internal organs (kidney, liver, etc.) 

 have only exceptionally come under observation. The 

 reason for this is readily made clear in experiments on ani- 

 mals. The opportunity for infection is wanting. The 

 fungi can reach the organs in question only through the 

 blood, and they are scarcely ever taken up into the blood- 

 stream from existing mycoses, from the intestine, and 

 wherever else in the body fungi are present. 



