458 MUSGRAVE, CLEGG, AND POLK. 



organism Streptothrix fostcri, which he found in the lachrymal ducts of a patient. 

 Tile definition for this organism as given by De Toni and Trevisan (Saccardo's 

 Sylloge Fungorum (1889), 8, 928) is as follows: 



"Filamentis tenuissimis, hyalinis, parallele insimul stratiformi-eoalitis vel 

 fasciculatis, rectis vel incuvvis, sparse irregulariterque ramosis, in fragmenta 

 inaequilia secedentibus." 



CLADOTHRIX. 



Cohn (loc. cit., 185) under the name Cladothrix dichotama described an 

 organism which was later included as the type species of a genus established by 

 Mar-ehand (Botanique cryptogamique, Paris (1883)) of which De Toni and 

 Trevisan (Saccardo, (1889), 8, 927) give the following generic diagnosis: 



"Filamenta basi ab apice superiore distincta, vagina crassa obducta cylindrica, 

 a?tate provecta a basi ad apicem magis magisque incrassata, articulata, pseudo- 

 ramosa. Arthrosporae binae in singulis microbaculis ellipsoideis ortae." 



However Mace (Compt. rend. acad. sci. (1888), 106) in a careful study of 

 Cladothrix dichotoma Cohn showed that it did not have the supposed property 

 of dichotomous division of the filaments, but that this appearance was simulated 

 by a lateral branching process. 



ACTINOMYCES. 



Meyen (Linmea (1827) 2, 433) described a fungus under the name Actino- 

 myces horkelii. Bollinger (Centraol. f. d. med. Wiss. (1877), 15, 481) pub- 

 lished an account of a disease in cattle caused by a vegetable organism which 

 was carefully described and named Actinomyces by Harz (Jahrcso. d. k. Gentral- 

 Thierarzneischule, Munchen (1877-78), who at this time probably did not know 

 of the previous occupation of the name by Meyen. 



The work of Bollinger and Harz attracted much attention and was rapidly 

 followed by a number of important contributions to the subject. For example, 

 James Israel {Virch. Arch. (1878), 74, 15; 50) described a similar organism 

 as the cause of a similar disease in man and Ponfiek (Breslauer artzliehe 

 Zeitschrift, May, 1879, and in subsequent publications) established the generic 

 identity of the microorganisms in man and animals. The work of several 

 writers showed that there existed varieties of this organism, but for a con- 

 siderable time Actinomyces remained unquestioned as a generic name for the 

 organisms. 



Botanists classified the organisms in various ways, the most noteworthy being 

 that of De Toni and Trevisan who created a new genus Nocardia (Saccardo, 8, 

 927) and placed Actinomyces (Saccardo, 8, 928) as a species with the following 

 diagnosis : 



"Glomerulis subglobulosis e filamentis densissime intertextis, fasciculos in- 

 numeros apice valde incrassato clavatos, a puncto centrali communi undique 

 irradiantes eonstitutis." 



OoSPORA. ■ 



This generic name was introduced by Sauvageau and Radais {Ann. Inst. 

 I'asteur (1892), 6) to include the organisms previously described as Actinomyces, 

 Cladothrix, and Streptothrix. This term never was seriously considered in the 

 literature and needs no further notice. 



