21-i ACTING MYCOSIS HO MINIS. 



gen, 1886) has increased the statistics by ten well -authenticated and 

 carefully recorded cases. At the last meeting of the Versarnmlung 

 Deutscher Naturforscher und Aerzte, Kotter stated that he observed 

 thirteen cases in two years. Albert has seen not less than thirty- 

 eight cases of actinomycosis within the past few years ; of these 

 eight have come under his observation during the last year. These 

 cases have come mostly from Vienna and its vicinity. 



DESCRIPTION OF FUNGUS. Bollinger described as peculiar! to 

 this disease certain yellowish bodies, visible to the naked eye, which 

 were always found in the pus of abscesses and in the middle of the 

 tumors. Microscopically they were found to consist of threads 

 similar to the ordinary mycelium, which terminated in bulbous 

 ends. The threads radiate from the centre, and their clubbed 

 extremities impart to the fungus the characteristic ray-like appear- 

 ance (Fig. 8). Sometimes but one of these bulbs is connected with 



FIG. 



Three actinomyces from a case of pulmonary actinomycosis. Below, three finger- 

 like buds and dichomatous branching of actinomyces threads. X 450. (BAUMGARTEN.) 



a thread, at other times there may be several. In man the actino- 

 myces occurs as small globular masses, commonly about the size of 

 a millet-seed, usually of a pale yellow color, but at times white, 

 brown, green, or speckled, the color being influenced by age and 

 the consecutive pathological conditions by which it may be sur- 

 rounded. In man the clubbed bodies are commonly absent, and 

 the growth consists of the radiating filaments alone. The rays, 

 when immersed in water or in a weak solution of chloride of sodium, 

 become enormously swollen and lose their shape, while they effectu- 

 ally resist the action of acids, ether, and chloroform. For staining 

 actinomyces Weigert uses WedPs orseille, Marchand eosin, Dunker 

 and Maguussen cochineal-red, Moosbriigger hsematoxylou-alum, 

 and Partsch, in section-staining, has had the best results with 



