I 
MYOTIC DERMATITIS. 63 ? 
many days; its tendency is to spread indefinitely ; there is no in¬ 
clination to heal spontaneously, as it is said to be the case in 
ordinary tinea tonsurans. There are no constitutional symp¬ 
toms as a rule,- except that an animal loses flesh, and in rare 
cases there is a slight rise of temperature. The disease is trans¬ 
mitted from one animal to another by actual contact, through the 
agency of families, rubbing against posts, grooming utensils, etc. 
Once in a troop or other bunches of horses it spreads very 
rapidly from one animal to another. 
The correct method of diagnosticating the disease is, of 
course, the microscope. The only trouble it is liable to be con¬ 
founded with is favus, in which disease the circles are concave 
in the centre, whilst in “adobe” the circles are convex in their 
centres, due to the accumulation of fluid under the integument. 
The appearance of the hair is rougher and more broken in 
“ adobe ” than in favus. 
In man adobe ” is generally first noticed in the inguinal 
region or on the scrotum in the form of an erythema, with well 
marked raised rings; under the raised portions is a watery 
fluid. There is always an intense itching present, which is 
worse at night; those parts of the body covered by hair are gen¬ 
erally avoided by the parasite. The soles of the feet are often 
attacked, especially in those that go barefooted, as is often the 
case whilst bathing. After man, the animals most commonly 
attacked are the ox, horse, monkey, dog, cat, mice, rats, sheep 
and pigs. Goats, which are plentiful everywhere in these isl¬ 
ands, are apparently immune. Of course the ideal victim is 
the Filipino, no doubt because of the exceedingly filthy con¬ 
ditions under which he exists. 
The fungi, which are the cause of “adobe,” like the Mus- 
counce , to which they are related, live on decomposing animal 
and vegetable matter, and exist wherever such matter is found, 
provided the climatic conditions are favorable. Horses come in 
contact with it whilst lying on the ground or rolling, or even 
walking, especially when the ground is muddy ; they also be¬ 
come infected whilst crossing streams, travelling in districts 
