EUROTIUM ASPERGILLUS. 125 



An affection of the air passages also occurred when 

 masses containing spores were swallowed. The pneumo- 

 nornycosis aspergillina is caused most often by Asp. fumi- 

 gatus, more rarely by Asp. niger ; the spores of the latter 

 do not form a luxuriant mycelium, but only germinate 

 imperfectly, while Asp. fumigatus can even fructify in the 

 larger bronchi when there is a plentiful supply of free 

 oxygen to the mycelium. In zoological gardens extensive 

 epidemics of these mycoses have also been observed. 

 In the case of mammals also, for example in cows, In mammal.-', 

 similar conditions have been seen in the lungs, and 

 aspergillus mycelium has been often observed in human 

 sputum and in the bronchi of dead bodies. Hence it is 

 not impossible that the inhalation of similar spores 

 have also occasionally set up pneumonic affections 

 in man. 



Deposits of aspergilli have been found on two parts in man. 

 of the surface of the human body. Leber observed, 

 after abrasion of the cornea by an ear of corn, that an 

 abundant development of aspergillus mycelium took 

 place in the cornea accompanied by severe suppurative 

 keratitis. On inoculation of the spores of the fungus 

 cultivated pure in an artificial soil, on the cornea or 

 into the anterior chamber of the eye of rabbits, growth 

 of the fungus occurred. Further, the aspergilli develop 

 not uncommonly in the external auditory meatus ; 

 nevertheless only when diseased conditions are already 

 present, such as perforation of the tympanic membrane 

 with degeneration of the wall of the tympanic cavity, 

 and when there is a layer of serum which can act as a 

 suitable nutritive substratum. In that situation suppu- 

 rative and putrefactive processes interfere with the deve- 

 lopment of the aspergilli, while the use of astringent 

 remedies as a rule favours it ; the introduction of oil 

 readily sets up eczema, and thus favours the growth of 

 the fungus, or at any rate of the mycelium, while the 

 formation of conidia is hindered. 



It is noteworthy that it is only those aspergilli whose Temperature 

 temperature optimum is high and approaches the body iSfe ** 11 

 temperature, that can grow in the bodies of warm-blooded aspergilli. 



