294 TiMEHRI. 



its a6lual identification, I refer to Ground-Itch, We 

 never see cases of it in Georgetown ; unless such cases 

 as may happen to come to town from the country. It 

 affe6ls chiefly the feet. And the appearances shown, are 

 very much like those seen in the han ds of patients af(li6led 

 with Scabies or ordinary Itch, only on a much more 

 pronounced and extensive scale. Papules, vesicles and 

 pustules form, many of these presenting the appearances 

 of the typical burrows so familiar to Scabies. I, my- 

 self, judging from the naked-eye appearances produced, 

 am much inclined to think that the disease is produced 

 by an Acarus. And I think that Distri6l Medical Officers 

 might soon satisfa6torily establish the identity of the 

 parasite, with a little trouble, 



The second great class of Parasites — Parasites 

 of the Vegetable Kingdom — need not detain us long 

 The most interesting example of the Entophyta 

 occurring in tropical regions is that known as the 

 Cotton-fungus (Chionyphe carteri) which produces 

 the disease known as the Fungus-foot of India. 

 But up to the present time, I have not as yet heard of its 

 identification in British Guiana ; though it is by no means 

 improbable that it does occasionally exist here. I belie ve 

 it has never been described as existing elsewhere than in 

 India, and there it is said to affe6t the natives only, no 

 European having been known to have been afflifled with 

 it. It produces considerable distortion of the feet, some- 

 times afifefting the hands, with thickening of the tissues, 

 degeneration of the bones, and numerous different sinuses 

 opening in the centres of raised papules, discharging 

 either minute fatty particles or black masses composed 

 of fungoid filaments, cells, and pigmentary deposit. The 



