146 CLINICAL BACTERIOLOGY AND H/EMATOLOGY 



To search for it, take a scale or two from the affected 

 region and grind it in a drop of water between two slides 

 until reduced to a pulp. Allow some of this pulp to dry on 

 one of the slides, fix, stain by Gram's method, and do not 

 counterstain. If the film is very greasy, so that the stain 

 does not wet it, warm the slide gently and allow a few drops 

 of ether to flow over the film, fix again, and proceed as 

 before. Examine the preparation under a T Vinch. The 

 presence of the bottle bacillus is almost conclusive evidence 

 in favour of seborrhcea, as against psoriasis, syphilis, etc. 



The figure (Plate IV., Fig. 6) I owe to the kindness of 

 Dr. Whitfield. It is from an impure culture, the first ever 

 obtained. It has since been obtained in pure culture. 



TINEA VERSICOLOR. There is usually no difficulty in the 

 diagnosis of this disease by ordinary clinical methods. Where 

 there is any doubt, one of the scales may be removed and 

 examined in liquor potassae, or by any of the methods 

 described for ringworm. The fung'us M. furfur is readily 

 detected under a ^-inch. It consists of rather wide mycelial 

 threads, branching and interlacing, with masses of refractile 

 spores, looking like bunches of grapes. (Plate IV., Fig. 4.) 



ERYTHRASMA. This is caused by the Microsporon minu- 

 tissimiim. The parasite affects usually the inguinal region, 

 but is occasionally found on the axillae and trunk. The 

 fungus is very small and can only be detected with certainty 

 by staining the scales, when it appears as long, very fine 

 interlacing mycelium, terminating in club-shaped spores. It 

 is so much smaller than the other moulds that a t^ must be 

 used to detect it. 



