CHAPTER XCIII 



MYCETOMA AND PARAMYCETOMA 



General remarks — ^The mycetomas — The maduromycoses — -The actinomycoses 

 — The paramycetomas- — The pseudomycetomas — Actinomycosis of the 

 body — Nodular actinomycosis- — Trench foot — References. 



GENERAL REMARKS. 



The subject of the mycetomas has for years been in an exceedingly 

 confused condition, because there has been no clear conception as to 

 the exact meaning of the term, and no scheme whereby the fungi 

 associated with the disease could be identified. Further, the curious 

 relationship of the disease to malignant growths of various descrip- 

 tions does not appear to have been realized until lately. The labours 

 of Pinoy, of Brumpt, and those of Chalmers with Archibald and 

 Christopherson, systematically continued for years, have enabled a 

 certain amount of information to be gathered together in under- 

 standable form. 



There are three distinct conditions which require to be studied — 

 viz., the Mycetomas, the Paramycetomas, and the Pseudomyce- 

 tomas — and detailed references to the fungi associated with these 

 forms will be found in Chapter XXXIX. (p. 1035), which deals 

 with the Fungi Imperfecti; in addition, a few remarks are necessary 

 with regard to actinomycosis of the body. 



THE MYCETOMAS. 



Synonyms. — Madura foot, the Fungus disease of India, Godfrey and Eyre's 

 Tubercular disease. Endemic degeneration of the bones of the foot. Morbus 

 tuberculosis Pedis, Morbus Pedis Entophyticus, Podelkoma, La Maladie de 

 Ballingall, Slipada, Hatty-ka-Pung, Keerenagrah (signifying a dwelUng of 

 worms), Kirudeo (signifying a dwelling of worms), Ghootloo Mahdee (signify- 

 ing eggs of insects, probably so called from the small bodies found in the dis- 

 charge) . 



Nomenclature. — In 1846, Colebrook of Madura said that the 

 disease was commonly known in some parts of Southern India as 

 ' Madura foot.' 



In i860, Vandyke Carter applied the term ' mycetoma,' or fungus 

 tumour (fjLVKTjs, a fungus, and ot^r^ixa, a tumour), to that variety of 

 Madura foot which contained black granules, and one year later 

 included under this name the white or yellow variety of the same 

 complaint with which he had become acquainted. 



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