IDENTITY OF AMERICAN AND FRENCH SPOROTRICHOSIS 107 
to discuss briefly the history of sporotrichosis in America and 
France and also in the other countries where it has been ob- 
served. 
SPOROTRICHOSIS IN NortTH AMERICA $ 
The recorded history of this disease in America is brief 
and simple. In 1898 Schenck® reported a case of chronic 
subcutaneous abscesses from which he isolated in pure culture 
a fungus which grew readily on artificial media and which 
was identified by Dr. Erwin F. Smith of the U. 8. Dept. of 
Agriculture as belonging to the genus Sporotricha. The or- 
ganism was found to be distinctly pathogenie for mice and 
dogs and from the characteristic lesions the same fungus was 
recovered pure. Thus, in the first case observed, all of Koch’s 
laws were fulfilled. Illustrations of the human lesions, cul- 
tures, and microscopic appearance of the fungus accompany 
the paper of Schenck. 
In 1900 Hektoen and Perkins‘ observed and very carefully 
described a second case in which the fungus was isolated in 
pure culture and its pathogenicity for various animals deter- 
mined. They were able to confirm the results of Schenck and 
after a careful comparison of the fungi from both cases con- 
cluded that they were identical. Schenck also examined their 
strain and pronounced it identical with his organism. They 
definitely named this organism Sporothrix schenckii at this 
time. Therefore it is to be noted that in two of the most 
prominent medical publications of the time, an accurate 
clinical, pathological, bacteriological, and experimental de- 
scription of this disease appeared. 
A case reported in 1899 by Brayton® agreed clinically with 
the case of Schenck and of Hektoen. The organism was not 
detected however and cultures were not made. Definite state- 
ments as to the nature of the infection cannot be made though 
it was probably a case of sporotrichosis. 
- Johns Hopkins Hospital Bulletin, 9, p. 286, 1898. 
‘Jour. of Exp. Med., 5, p. 77, 1900. 
* Indianapolis Med. Jour., 18, p. 272, 1899. 
