RINGWORM. IIr 
RINGWORM. 
Examination of the hair and scales from the skin are 
of very great value to the dermatologist. It settles 
conclusively the question whether a patient is or is not 
suffering from ringworm, and often gives important in- 
formation as to prognosis; and may enable us to say 
whether the disease has probably been derived from a 
human source or has been contracted from one of the 
lower animals. 
Where the mere diagnosis of ringworm is in question 
an examination of the hair or scales after soaking in 
liquor potassz is often sufficient. -The materials are 
placed in a drop of the solution on a slide and covered 
with a cover-glass; after a quarter of an hour or so the 
specimen is carefully examined under the microscope, 
using a 4 in. lens anda small diaphragm. The spores 
appear as spherical or oval highly refractile bodies 
which can hardly be mistaken for anything but fat 
globules. This possible source of fallacy may be re- 
moved by soaking the hair in ether before applying the 
liquor potasse. 
This is a rapid and simple method, but it does not 
enable us to diagnose the nature of the fungus with 
certainty, except in very typical cases, and when spores 
are scanty they’are readily overlooked. It is a very 
great advantage to employ some method of staining. 
These are by no means difficult, though they are some- 
what tedious. Two processes, both modifications of 
Gram’s method, will be given. 
