478 MUSGRAVE, CLEGG, AND POLK. 



hand, the infection in these places already having been described by Carter 

 and others. Israel's work was followed by that of Ponfick (1879) with 

 strong evidence as to the identity of the disease in man and animals. 

 From the year 1876 the literature accumulated rapidly and the infection 

 was reported for man and animals from widely varying locations and 

 countries. 



Bostroem (1890) contributed the first thorough and exhaustive labo- 

 ratory study of the microorganisms and this work was followed a year 

 later by an equally exhaustive treatise on the same subject by Wolf and 

 Israel. The organisms described by Bostroem on the one hand and by 

 "Wolf and Israel on the other, although isolated from apparently similar 

 diseases, showed certain morphologic and biologic differences which led 

 to much discussion during the next few years. Organisms corresponding 

 to the descriptions of both these pioneer observers continued to be men- 

 tioned in the literature, each investigator maintaining his organism to 

 be the true cause of the disease. 



In 1888 Nocard cultivated and quite accurately described a Strepto- 

 thrix as the cause of a disease locally termed farcin de boeuf of cattle in 

 Guadalupe; Nocard's organism seemed to be of a different species from 

 either Bostroem's or Wolf and Israel's. Eppinger (1890) cultivated 

 and accurately described another species of Streptothrix as the cause of a 

 brain abscess and "psuedotuberculosis" in a man. Vincent (1894) first 

 satisfactorily cultivated and described a Streptothrix as the cause of 

 mycetoma or Madura foot and his organism seemed to have certain 

 characteristics showing it to be specifically different from any of those 

 previously described. 



Foulerton (1899-1907) gave descriptions of several new species of the 

 parasites and has brought out the most thorough and exhaustive considera- 

 tion of the whole subject with which we are familiar. Wright (1905) 

 contributed a most complete and exhaustive study of the biology of the 

 Wolf and Israel variety of this organism. The work of bringing all this 

 group of similar organisms together in a single genus is largely due to 

 the researches of Rossi Doria, Petruschky, Foulerton and several other 

 recent writers, particularly of the German and French observers. 



In this article we have shown conclusively that Eppinger's organism 

 isolated from clinical actinomyces on several occasions is identical with 

 jS. freeri, which is one cause of Madura foot in the Philippine Islands. 

 Very little is known regarding Streptothrix infections in this Archipelago. 

 Our records show two cases in which Actinomyces was the etiologic factor 

 in human disease, and several infections of cattle have been observed in 

 the islands. One case of the Madura foot type of the disease has 

 been seen. 



Etiology. — Predisposing causes, for this disease, except in a few in- 

 stances, have not been sufficiently studied to make a satisfactory estimate 

 of their influence. 



