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MEDICAL mycology has enjoyed a tremendous wave of popularity in recent years, especially among dermatologists. The appearance about 10 years ago of the epidemic (human) type of preadolescent tinea capitis in the United States and its subsequent rapid spread throughout the majority of its cities necessitated the adoption of culture methods as a routine in all diseases involving the scalp, in order that the prognostic, therapeutic, and epidemiologic status of each case could be correctly assessed. These extensive cultural studies have also disclosed a surprising number of cases of other varieties of scalp infection heretofore considered rare, and interesting variations in the geographical distribution of certain species of infecting fungi are becoming apparent. The present communication deals with the discovery that infection of the scalp by the fungus Trichophyton tonsurans is now by no means rare in the children of Texas and California and is even encountered occasionally

WE HAVE been conducting clinical trials with several experimental preparations in the treatment of tinea capitis. In March, 1950, a study was begun with asterol ® dihydrochloride. This antifungal material, the dihydrochloride of 2-dimethylamino-6-(b-diethylaminoethoxy)-benzothiazole, has been shown to be a potent fungicide both in vitro 1 and clinically, 2 with low sensitizing and low irritating properties. This report deals with those cases of Microsporum audouini scalp infection treated solely with a 5% asterol® dihydrochloride ointment in polyethylene glycol (carbowax®) 1500. The areas of fluorescence under Wood's lamp were measured and charted on special forms, and mycological cultures were taken of infected hairs. The patients were instructed to shave or close-clip the scalp hair, to rub the medicament thoroughly twice daily into the entire scalp, and to shampoo the head nightly with medicinal soft soap liniment. A stocking cap, boiled and changed daily, was to be worn at all times.

Although Trichophyton violaceum is a common cause of infection of the scalp, beard and nails in Russia, Poland, Italy and the Near East, it is of uncommon occurrence as a cause of tinea capitis in children in the United States. Its occurrence as a cause of tinea capitis in an adult is still rarer. A review of the dermatological literature has revealed only two case reports of this infection in the scalp of an adult in the United States. One was given in a study of 49 adult patients with tinea capitis. 1 The other was the report of a case in an 18 year old white woman who had the infection for at least two years. 2 I have seen two other cases of T. violaceum scalp infection, both of which occurred in children and both of which were cured only after roentgen ray epilation and neither of which

Howell et al.1reported two cases of scalp infection in adults caused by Trichophyton tonsurans in which the clinical lesions closely resembled chronic discoid lupus erythematosus. This paper reports four cases of chronic tinea faciei, due to different dermatophytes, simulating chronic discoid lupus erythematosus. Report of Four Cases Case 1.— The patient, a 65-year-old woman of dark complexion, complained of a symmetrical butterfly-like eruption on the nose and cheeks of eight years' duration. These lesions always flared up in summer when she was exposed to the sun. The patient also gave an eleven-year history of recurrent "inflammation" of the left foot accompanied by rise of temperature. She had been previously diagnosed as suffering from discoid lupus erythematosus and treated with gold injections without improvement. On inspection there were variously sized scaly red lesions with polycyclic, moderately well-defined, borders on the nose and cheeks. The central parts of the lesions showed

The case described in this paper seems to us to be of interest for three reasons: first, accurate and detailed records of myiasis produced by the larvae of Phormia regina Meig, are very rare; second, the entire clinical history of the patient is known, and, third, the fact that dermal myiasis is widespread throughout the country and may occur whenever there is the least opportunity for it to do so is well emphasized here. REPORT OF CASE A negress, aged 25, a prostitute, admitted to the unclean ward of the hospital, with a 4 + Wassermann reaction, for treatment of a scalp infection, presented scalp sores, with a heavy pus exudate, and dermatitis on the upper and outer lobes of the ears and on the mastoid area. This condition was due to an overdose of arsphenamine and was being treated by injections of sodium thiosulphate given intramuscularly. The backs of the lobes of

Introduction The curative effect of griseofulvin in tinea capitis caused by Microsporum audouini has been established by the few reports which have been published. Williams, Marten, and Sarkany1were the first to report such a cure; Blank and Roth2also included one patient with scalp infection caused by Microsporum audouini who was successfully treated with griseofulvin. Recently, a series of children with M. audouini infection of the scalp treated with griseofulvin has been reported from Washington, D.C.3Tinea capitis caused by dermatophytes other than M. audouini has also been treated successfully by griseofulvin.2-6The frequency, the anthropophilic aspect, and the resistance to all forms of therapy other than x-ray epilation make tinea capitis caused by M. audouini one of the most important of the dermatophyte infections. The present study was initiated to determine the optimum dosage and treatment schedule necessary to best manage tinea capitis produced