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Transmission of Ringworm (Tinea Ton-Surans) From Horse to Man
The Veterinary Journal. hogs among the herd-principally Berkshires; and these appeared to suffer most, to be earlier affected, and to succumb to the disease sooner than the coarse-bred ones. They were also in better condition than the latter.
TRANSMISSION OF RINGWORM (TINEA TONSURANS) FROM HORSE TO MAN. THE transmission of the epiphytic disease, Tinea tonslIrans, to man, though long ago fully established as possible, yet is not so common an occurrence as to justify us in withholding from publication an interesting case which has quite recently come immediately under our own personal observation. A short time ago, Lieutenant P-- belonging to the mounted portion of the Royal Engineers, purchased as a charger a wellbred , fine-skinned brown horse, five years of age. A few days after the horse joined, a few small" pimples," supposed to be due to surfeit, were observed on the left side of the croup and quarter, but nothing was thought of them. Soon, however, in consequence of the rapidity of their spread, our attention was directed to them; when we found the skin in the region named closely sown with patches and points, due to the rapidly fructifying conidia of the Tl'ichopll)'to1l. The largest of the patches did not exceed the size of a sixpence, and many of the points were so small that they could only be discovered by passing the fingers over the skin. On the neck and head some little patches were found. The disease had evidently been in existence for a long time, as num erous jet-black tufts of hair, evidence of previous cutaneous implication, were noticed all over the body. The horse was isolated , and directions were given to wash the skin with warm water and soft soap, using a brush to the affected portions, which were afterwards dressed with an ointment composed of equal parts of Stockholm tar and lard. About the middle of March, the groom who had attended the horse since its arrival in barracks, came to us to know whether a sore place on his arm was due to the disease which had affected the animal's skin. There undoubtedly was an
A rmy Veterinary Surgeons.
357
unmistakable patch of Tinea ci1'cinata, measuring one and a-half inch in diameter, on the inner aspect of the right arm, a little above the wrist. The patch was regularly circular in outline, the margin being well defined; the base was much inflamed, particularly at the circumference; there were no vesicles, these having in all probability been ruptured by the . bandage which had been wrapped round the arm. The irritation had been so great as to excite pustulation in the centre of the patch, where, as well as at the border, there was so much infiltration as to raise the diseased portion of the skin above the surrounding level; here and there were whitish scales covering the infiltrated surface. This pathological condition of the cutis had only been in existence for two or three days; and the growth of the fungus had been so rapid, that the groom himself was astonished at the speed with which a little red spot had become a large sore place. He was sent to be treated by the regimental surgeon. Within the last three years we have been called upon to treat several cases of Ringworm in the horse, and two of these have proved so obstinate, that we are not inclined to look upon the affection as, in every case, one to be easily got rid of. The two cases which proved so obstinate must have been of long standing. They joined at Chatham, with the disease fully developed. One (an officer's horse) with four large patches on the breast,another a trooper, with the pasterns covered with the parasite, as well as different parts of the body. In both cases the hairs were destroyed, and the seat of the Trichopltyton remained hairless, the blemish being most marked. We have found no application succeed so well as the Stockholm tar.
ARMY VETERINARY SURGEONS. BY "A VETERINARY SURGEON."
IT is rumoured that the Army Veterinary Department is likely to be placed on a more satisfactory footing than at present, and that something will at last be done to improve the pay and position of the veterinary surgeons. They have long been com-
TRANSMISSION OF RINGWORM (TINEA TONSURANS) FROM HORSE TO MAN. THE transmission of the epiphytic disease, Tinea tonslIrans, to man, though long ago fully established as possible, yet is not so common an occurrence as to justify us in withholding from publication an interesting case which has quite recently come immediately under our own personal observation. A short time ago, Lieutenant P-- belonging to the mounted portion of the Royal Engineers, purchased as a charger a wellbred , fine-skinned brown horse, five years of age. A few days after the horse joined, a few small" pimples," supposed to be due to surfeit, were observed on the left side of the croup and quarter, but nothing was thought of them. Soon, however, in consequence of the rapidity of their spread, our attention was directed to them; when we found the skin in the region named closely sown with patches and points, due to the rapidly fructifying conidia of the Tl'ichopll)'to1l. The largest of the patches did not exceed the size of a sixpence, and many of the points were so small that they could only be discovered by passing the fingers over the skin. On the neck and head some little patches were found. The disease had evidently been in existence for a long time, as num erous jet-black tufts of hair, evidence of previous cutaneous implication, were noticed all over the body. The horse was isolated , and directions were given to wash the skin with warm water and soft soap, using a brush to the affected portions, which were afterwards dressed with an ointment composed of equal parts of Stockholm tar and lard. About the middle of March, the groom who had attended the horse since its arrival in barracks, came to us to know whether a sore place on his arm was due to the disease which had affected the animal's skin. There undoubtedly was an
A rmy Veterinary Surgeons.
357
unmistakable patch of Tinea ci1'cinata, measuring one and a-half inch in diameter, on the inner aspect of the right arm, a little above the wrist. The patch was regularly circular in outline, the margin being well defined; the base was much inflamed, particularly at the circumference; there were no vesicles, these having in all probability been ruptured by the . bandage which had been wrapped round the arm. The irritation had been so great as to excite pustulation in the centre of the patch, where, as well as at the border, there was so much infiltration as to raise the diseased portion of the skin above the surrounding level; here and there were whitish scales covering the infiltrated surface. This pathological condition of the cutis had only been in existence for two or three days; and the growth of the fungus had been so rapid, that the groom himself was astonished at the speed with which a little red spot had become a large sore place. He was sent to be treated by the regimental surgeon. Within the last three years we have been called upon to treat several cases of Ringworm in the horse, and two of these have proved so obstinate, that we are not inclined to look upon the affection as, in every case, one to be easily got rid of. The two cases which proved so obstinate must have been of long standing. They joined at Chatham, with the disease fully developed. One (an officer's horse) with four large patches on the breast,another a trooper, with the pasterns covered with the parasite, as well as different parts of the body. In both cases the hairs were destroyed, and the seat of the Trichopltyton remained hairless, the blemish being most marked. We have found no application succeed so well as the Stockholm tar.
ARMY VETERINARY SURGEONS. BY "A VETERINARY SURGEON."
IT is rumoured that the Army Veterinary Department is likely to be placed on a more satisfactory footing than at present, and that something will at last be done to improve the pay and position of the veterinary surgeons. They have long been com-