968 



FUNG A CEM~PHYCOMYCETES 



new classification in his paper, ' Les Bases actuelles de la Systematique en 

 Mycologie.' 



Leaving now the systematic study, we turn to the discovery of forms 

 parasitic in man, beginning with the ringworm discoveries of Remak (1837), 

 Schonlein (1837), G-ruby (1842), and Malmsten (1845), and passing through 

 the days of Carter and Manson to those of Sabouraud, Brumpt, De Beurmann, 

 and Gougerot, down to the last, and by no means least, Pinoy, whose valuable 

 researches are of such use in tropical medicine. 



The above rather dry account will enable the reader of this and the two follow- 

 ing chapters to realize the references and the names of the genera and species. 



Nomenclature is, however, very confused, and an author, before he gives 

 a fungus a name, should read ' Regies Internationales de la Nomenclature 

 Botanique,' published in 191 2. Unfortunately, it has been decided that the 

 nomenclature of the Fungi Imperfecti, which are so important in tropical 

 medicine, should commence with Fries' work, while we are in accord with 

 Vuillemin, who says that Saccardo's ' Sylloge ' should be the basis for all fungi. 



With this brief history we will pass on to consider the FungacecB 

 Linnaeus, 1737, which, as we have already seen, belongs to the 

 Regnum Vegetabile, division Thallophyta. 



SUBDIVISION FUNGACEiE Linnieus, 1737. 

 Synonym, — Fungi auctores. 



Definition. — Thallophyta thread-like, with apical growth produc- 

 ing cells (hyphae) or rows of cells (hyphae), which collectively are 

 termed a mycelium, and reproducing by freely escaping spores, 

 which are formed either acrogenously at the end of hyphae or endo- 

 genously in special cells (sporangia), situate either at the apex of a 

 free hypha, or are formed by sexual cells, which may be enclosed 

 in a fruit or perithecium, formed by the interlacing of mycelial 

 threads without chromatophores or chlorophyl. 



Morphology. — Fungi are Thallophytes without chlorophyl, and 

 do not contain starch or chromatophores. Their vegetative body, 

 or thallus, consists generally of a mass of filaments or threads 

 termed the ' mycelium.' The threads or filaments forming the 

 mycelium are called ' hyphae.' The mycelial threads or hyphae 

 may be septate or non-septate. Their walls do not consist of ordinary 

 cellulose, but of a substance i^nown diS> fungus-cellulose, which does 

 not stain blue by iodine and sulphuric acid. 



Nutrition. — The fungi, being unprovided with chlorophyl, cannot 

 make use of the carbon dioxide of the air, and therefore derive their 

 carbonaceous food material from complex organic compounds, as, 

 for instance, decaying organic substances. 



Mode of Life. — Fungi live as parasites or as saprophytes. They 

 may live one way or the other, according to circumstances. Fungi 

 are parasites of man, of the lower animals, and of plants. 



Biological Characters. — Recent researches have shown the great 

 biological analogies between fungi and bacteria as regards produc- 

 tion of toxins, agglutination, and immunization phenomena, etc. 

 Charrin and Ostrowsky, Concetti, Roger, and others, have obtained 

 a soluble toxin from Monilia albicans. Auclair and Verliac have 

 isolated from Nocardia bovis a toxic product soluble in ether. 



