tended to the pale variety of mycetoma, which he found a year later. In accordance with the rules of nomenclature prevalent among scientific men. precedence is to be given to the name given by the first discoverer. So there is no justification for withholding the applications of the name mycetoma to the disease under consideration. The definition given by* Brumpt in his exhaustive treatise on the mycetoma in the Archives de Parasitolotjie is more appropriate. It runs as follows :? mycoses inflaimnatoires produisant des formes exclusivement par un feutrage exterior mycelial! et devant etre elimines a l'exterior par des fistules plusou moins developpes." Des
graines
The determination of the nature of the fungus which are found rather abundantly in this disease presented a good deal of difficulty, and up to no\vr it has not been settled in the same definite way as that of the white mycetoma; this is because of the unaccountable difficulty experienced by the workers in isolating and cultivating the fungus in a pure state. In fact, according to Brumpt no worker, old or recent, has been able to cultivate it. I quote below the writings of this author which appeared in his article on " Les mycetoines." The writing being in French, I give below the English version of it:? *'
ON THE BIOLOGY OF BLACK MYCETOMA By G. C. Asst.
OHATTERJEE,
*
M.B.,
Bacteriological and Asst. Professor oj Pathology, Medical College, Calcutta.
In the classical paper 011 streptothricosis contributed by Musgrave CI egg and Polkf in the Philippine Journal of Science, which can be classed as the most exhaustive paper on the subject that has appeared within recent times, the writers describe mycetoma as follows :? A disease consisting of a streptothrix infection of the foot (streptothrix pedis, actinomyces pedis), characterised by a chronic course, swelling and deformity of the part, a peculiar oily degeneration of the tissue with cavity and fistulous opening of mycotic aggregations, containing the micro-organisms." Black mycetoma is then not a mycetoma, if we accept the above definition ; for it is a hypomycetes as will lie seen later on ; and in fact the writers have not, 011 account of this reason, dealt with this disease at all in their paper. But the name mycetoma was first coined byj Vandyke Carter in I860, for applying it to this very disease, which he described first in 18G0 and which name he afterwards exSociety. pfv^-at.a Journal t Phillippine r* of Science, Vol. No. 6, pajje 477. X Transactions of the Medical and II, Physical Society of Bombay, i860, Vols. I and VII. lueeting -"O
Xo author ancient or recent has been able to cultivate the typical black mycetoma, such as I am going to describe. Wright in a little atypical case which he observed, succeeded in cultivating a branching fungus, white in colour, which produced the black sclerotia in dead or old cultures. He does not give any other botanical details ; possibly he has to do with a contaminating fungus as has been the case with other authors who had tried to cultivate it. After detailed study we have been confirmed in this opinion." It will not be possible to give here in detail the full literature on the subject. Suffice it to say, that beginning from 1700 up to 1900. a host of workers like Gilbert, Vandyke Carter, Cunningham and Lewis, Wright, Brumpt, Bouffard and Laveran made contributions on the subject. Of these a few require to be dealt with in detail. Vandyke Carter was the first to recognise the fungus nature of the organism which lie believed to be the cause of the disease, but he suggested that the organism was a stage of the white mycetoma and not a different fungus.f Cunningham was the first to recognise that the fungus is a septal branching one, belonging to a higher order than the white mycetoma or actinoinyces, but he clung tenaciously to the old view put forward by him and Lewis that the fungus is an accidental contamination and not the cause of the disease.!
of tlio Asiatic X~? HkiMi? * " *?
?>xxv?
^
r?
*
Archives tie Parasitoloaie, Tome X, 1905. t Scientific Memoirs, 1895. ? Journal of Experimental Medicine, 1898.
BLACK MYCETOMA.
Oct., 1911.]
Wright was the first to claim to have cultivated a fungus from a black mycetoma case, but, as can
be
quotation above and the fungus was a fungus separated by Wright
from the
seen
from other
considerations,
The died out, is not available for purpose of comparison, but from a published description it appears that this differs in many from the one separated by me.* respects Brumpt describes two varieties of black mycetoma, the one studied by Bouffard which he describes as Asperigilius Bouffardi; and the other, which he contamination.
having already
designates
as Madurella mycetoma, corresponds to the Indian variety. The material used for cultivation of my fungus which, I believe, is the fungus of black mycetoma, was taken from a case
377 Examination
of the
Grains.
Some of these grains were crushed between and smears were made and were two slides examined under microscope, both stained and unstained. Smears showed numerous branching blackish threads with septa. They are very Stained film showed the same blackcoarse. threads which do not take any stain; no spores were found. Cultivation. Some of these grains were placed under strict aseptic precautions in ordinary agar and also in glucose-agar tubes. Next day, the surfaces of the cultures
organism.
were
The
found uncontaminated with any as if increased
grains appeared
Black Mycetoma. from from the the original black original black affected part. grains from the affected
Agar-culcure?Four days' growth growth grains
part.
of black
mycetoma admitted in the Medical College Hospital. A piece of a tissue was removed from a globular swelling of about the size of an orange situated in the plantar surface of the leg. On making a section through the piece, numerous small black grains of about the size of a pin's
head were found situated in small cavities in the tissue. These were loosely attached and could be removed. A large number of these grains removed under sterile precautions in various culture-media ; some were kept for examination and the rest of the tissue kept for section.
easily were
Archives de Parasitologic, Tome
X,
1905.
Mycetoma. Black Mycetoma. Black the radiating growth showing the A A bouillon-culture bouillon-culture showing radiating growth wall. to glass glass wall. sticking to sticking
in size. By the fourth day, there was no doubt about the increase in size of the grains. They have become 7 to 8 times their former size and are surrounded by fine hair-like structure. Smears examined from the surface of culture showed delicate branching mycelial threads which take stain very easily and show nucleus like structure inside the threads. This appearance is quite
THE INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE.
unlike the thick black threads found in the grains. But instead of a smear, if a portion of the growth be removed and smear made and examined after staining the thick black (Sclerotia), threads are seen from which are seen sprouting out their branching threads which take stain like those described above. Cultivations
in different cultures, potato, bouillon, milk, Sabourand's culture-medium, besides sugar solutions were tried. In potato the growth is dry and black, not a drop of moisture was found. In bouillon, a peculiar of old black is a piece If seen. appearance growth from agar be placed in the bouillon and then the tube thoroughly shaken, and then it is incubated, numerous small white colonies will be found with radiating rays, and all of them sticking to the glass wall. No diffuse growth is seen nor Animal any scum found on the surface. experiment gave negative results.
[Oct.,
1911.
graines
The determination of the nature of the fungus which are found rather abundantly in this disease presented a good deal of difficulty, and up to no\vr it has not been settled in the same definite way as that of the white mycetoma; this is because of the unaccountable difficulty experienced by the workers in isolating and cultivating the fungus in a pure state. In fact, according to Brumpt no worker, old or recent, has been able to cultivate it. I quote below the writings of this author which appeared in his article on " Les mycetoines." The writing being in French, I give below the English version of it:? *'
ON THE BIOLOGY OF BLACK MYCETOMA By G. C. Asst.
OHATTERJEE,
*
M.B.,
Bacteriological and Asst. Professor oj Pathology, Medical College, Calcutta.
In the classical paper 011 streptothricosis contributed by Musgrave CI egg and Polkf in the Philippine Journal of Science, which can be classed as the most exhaustive paper on the subject that has appeared within recent times, the writers describe mycetoma as follows :? A disease consisting of a streptothrix infection of the foot (streptothrix pedis, actinomyces pedis), characterised by a chronic course, swelling and deformity of the part, a peculiar oily degeneration of the tissue with cavity and fistulous opening of mycotic aggregations, containing the micro-organisms." Black mycetoma is then not a mycetoma, if we accept the above definition ; for it is a hypomycetes as will lie seen later on ; and in fact the writers have not, 011 account of this reason, dealt with this disease at all in their paper. But the name mycetoma was first coined byj Vandyke Carter in I860, for applying it to this very disease, which he described first in 18G0 and which name he afterwards exSociety. pfv^-at.a Journal t Phillippine r* of Science, Vol. No. 6, pajje 477. X Transactions of the Medical and II, Physical Society of Bombay, i860, Vols. I and VII. lueeting -"O
Xo author ancient or recent has been able to cultivate the typical black mycetoma, such as I am going to describe. Wright in a little atypical case which he observed, succeeded in cultivating a branching fungus, white in colour, which produced the black sclerotia in dead or old cultures. He does not give any other botanical details ; possibly he has to do with a contaminating fungus as has been the case with other authors who had tried to cultivate it. After detailed study we have been confirmed in this opinion." It will not be possible to give here in detail the full literature on the subject. Suffice it to say, that beginning from 1700 up to 1900. a host of workers like Gilbert, Vandyke Carter, Cunningham and Lewis, Wright, Brumpt, Bouffard and Laveran made contributions on the subject. Of these a few require to be dealt with in detail. Vandyke Carter was the first to recognise the fungus nature of the organism which lie believed to be the cause of the disease, but he suggested that the organism was a stage of the white mycetoma and not a different fungus.f Cunningham was the first to recognise that the fungus is a septal branching one, belonging to a higher order than the white mycetoma or actinoinyces, but he clung tenaciously to the old view put forward by him and Lewis that the fungus is an accidental contamination and not the cause of the disease.!
of tlio Asiatic X~? HkiMi? * " *?
?>xxv?
^
r?
*
Archives tie Parasitoloaie, Tome X, 1905. t Scientific Memoirs, 1895. ? Journal of Experimental Medicine, 1898.
BLACK MYCETOMA.
Oct., 1911.]
Wright was the first to claim to have cultivated a fungus from a black mycetoma case, but, as can
be
quotation above and the fungus was a fungus separated by Wright
from the
seen
from other
considerations,
The died out, is not available for purpose of comparison, but from a published description it appears that this differs in many from the one separated by me.* respects Brumpt describes two varieties of black mycetoma, the one studied by Bouffard which he describes as Asperigilius Bouffardi; and the other, which he contamination.
having already
designates
as Madurella mycetoma, corresponds to the Indian variety. The material used for cultivation of my fungus which, I believe, is the fungus of black mycetoma, was taken from a case
377 Examination
of the
Grains.
Some of these grains were crushed between and smears were made and were two slides examined under microscope, both stained and unstained. Smears showed numerous branching blackish threads with septa. They are very Stained film showed the same blackcoarse. threads which do not take any stain; no spores were found. Cultivation. Some of these grains were placed under strict aseptic precautions in ordinary agar and also in glucose-agar tubes. Next day, the surfaces of the cultures
organism.
were
The
found uncontaminated with any as if increased
grains appeared
Black Mycetoma. from from the the original black original black affected part. grains from the affected
Agar-culcure?Four days' growth growth grains
part.
of black
mycetoma admitted in the Medical College Hospital. A piece of a tissue was removed from a globular swelling of about the size of an orange situated in the plantar surface of the leg. On making a section through the piece, numerous small black grains of about the size of a pin's
head were found situated in small cavities in the tissue. These were loosely attached and could be removed. A large number of these grains removed under sterile precautions in various culture-media ; some were kept for examination and the rest of the tissue kept for section.
easily were
Archives de Parasitologic, Tome
X,
1905.
Mycetoma. Black Mycetoma. Black the radiating growth showing the A A bouillon-culture bouillon-culture showing radiating growth wall. to glass glass wall. sticking to sticking
in size. By the fourth day, there was no doubt about the increase in size of the grains. They have become 7 to 8 times their former size and are surrounded by fine hair-like structure. Smears examined from the surface of culture showed delicate branching mycelial threads which take stain very easily and show nucleus like structure inside the threads. This appearance is quite
THE INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE.
unlike the thick black threads found in the grains. But instead of a smear, if a portion of the growth be removed and smear made and examined after staining the thick black (Sclerotia), threads are seen from which are seen sprouting out their branching threads which take stain like those described above. Cultivations
in different cultures, potato, bouillon, milk, Sabourand's culture-medium, besides sugar solutions were tried. In potato the growth is dry and black, not a drop of moisture was found. In bouillon, a peculiar of old black is a piece If seen. appearance growth from agar be placed in the bouillon and then the tube thoroughly shaken, and then it is incubated, numerous small white colonies will be found with radiating rays, and all of them sticking to the glass wall. No diffuse growth is seen nor Animal any scum found on the surface. experiment gave negative results.
[Oct.,
1911.
