BLASTOMYCETIC DERMATITIS. 



IS3 



the genus oidia, excepting those of Schenck and Hektoen, which 

 have been classified by Erwin Smith as belonging to the genus 

 Sporotricha, and 

 named by him Spo- 

 rothrix Schenckii. 



Morphology. — As 

 seen in the pus or 

 tissues(Fig. 62)these 

 bodies appear usu- 

 ally as spherical 

 cells, measuring in 

 diameter 10—15 /^i 

 possessed of a cell 

 membrane about .5- 

 1.5 \x in thickness, 

 their contents are 

 made up of small 

 and large granules 

 of varying degrees 

 of refractibility and 

 vacuoles. No nuclei 

 have been demonstrated 



Fig. 62. — Blastomyces dermatitidis (Gilchrist): sec- 

 tion tlirough an abscess cavity sliowin^ the organism with 

 doubly-contoured membrane X looo. [By the kind per- 

 mission of Dr. T. Caspar Gilchrist.] 



Buddins 





Fig. 63. — Blastomyces dermatitidis (Gilchrist) : show 

 ing the budding form of the organism iving in the pus of 

 an abscess cavity X looo. [By the kind permission of Dr. 

 T. Caspar Gilchrist.] 



forms (Fig. 63), resembling 

 those of ordinary yeast 

 cells, are often met 

 with, and it would 

 appear as if budding 

 were the usual method 

 of reproduction; some 

 cells, however, contain 

 small round bodies, 

 which some have con- 

 sidered endospores 

 (Fig. 64), but when 

 brought into cultural 

 conditions these bod- 

 ies have remained 

 unaltered, and thus 

 it is extremely doubt- 

 ful if they have any 

 reproductive function 



