The History, Clinical Features, and Treatment of Tinea Capitis Due to Trighophyton Tonsurans and Trichophyton Violaceum

Abstract

THE word Hnea m Romau times, after signifying (lie insect wLich "naws cJothes and books (Horace), came later to mean any verminonK or parasitic mfesta;tion of the skiji (Galen). Sabonraud (1904) fonnd that in tbe sixth century the word still retamed this sigrnificance. Steplicn of Antiocli (J525), translating the t,welfth century medical text of Haly-Abbas, used tinea to describe all diseases of the hairy scalp. The tinea favosa of this era is onr modern impetiqo, and tmea lupmosa (Gny de Chanliac, 1641) is om-favus. This mediaeval clasaification remamed m vogue until the be^iinning of the nineteenth centnry and, in France .Gilbert was the last to adhere to the traditional teaching. However, he used favus in the sense whicli is still cnrrent, although the original tinea favosa 'was a bacterial and not a fuagal infection. In England, WiUan expanded Plenk's suggestions and reolassified skin diseases ; thns tinea favosa became porriqo favom and tinea lupinosa became porrigo lupinosa.Ringworm has been a familiar word in onr language since the sixteenth centnry. The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary records its nse in 1647, and Morns (1898) refers to its iiso almost 80 years earlier. At first, ringwmm. was used m England in the same vagne way that tinea was used iu Enrope : ringworm referred to any skin disease in which the lesions were im-anged in l-ings. Tnrner (1736) seems to Inwe been the first to describe the breaking of diseased scalp hairs n\ tinea eapitia. Bateman (1829) flrst nsed the term porrigo scutulata or ringworm of the scalp and separated the condition from pwrigo lupinosa His cbnical description was not good, and Samuel Plnmbe (1837) was the first Englishman to ^YVQ a clear clinieal description of the disease. Alibert's pupil Biett, mtroduced WilJan's classification to France, bnt in doing so he transposed Willan's porrigo favosa {impetigo) and used it to designate favus, pei-petnatin"' tbe error of Alibert. Thns at the beginning of the nineteenth century Biett and Bateman nsed tbe same term to refer to two different diseases. ' Biett also failed to appreciate Bateman's deRcriptiou of pwrigo seutulata {tinea capitis) aud of porrtgo decalvans (alopecia areata) and grouped both these conditions under his heading of porngo favosa. This action of Biett added to the confusion m the first years of the nineteenth cent_my, and in France it was not mitil about 1820 that Mahon tirst clearly distinguished clinically between tinea capitis and favus. His observations were reported by his brother in 1829, but appear to have been overlooked until (^azenave redescribed tinea capitis nnder the name of herpes tonsurans in 1843.

The Endothrix Trichophyta: With Special Reference to the Similarity of the Clinical Disease Caused by T. Tonsurans and T. Yiolaceum

“…In many cases casual inspection did not reveal abnormal hairs, and it was in the scale that evidence of infection was most easily found (Donald, 19596).…”

A family outbreak of tinea capitis due to Trichophyton violaceum in Michigan. Its control with griseofulvin

“…The case described by MUSKATBLIT (36) was diagnosed and treated previously as seborrheic dermatitis. Other authors emphasized the close similarity of the two conditions and DONALD (55) regarded the scurfy head as most commonly suggestive of endothrix infection.…”

“…Before the advent of griseofulvin, the infection was notoriously resistant to treatment and required x-ray epilation for a cure (10,55,59). Griseofulvin undoubtedly has become the present treatment of choice and remarkable results have been obtained with its therapeutic use (55,63,64,65,66,76). ZIPRKOWSKI et al (68) achieved notable success in mass treatment with griseofulvin of 441 cases of Trichophyton violaceum infection in an Arab village in Israel.…”

Fine Particle Griseofulvin: A Preliminary Report of Clinical Experiences in the Treatment of Microsporum Canis Infection of the Scalp

“…The * From the Skin Clinic of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, Adelaide, South Australia. response of endothrix infections lias been discussed already (Donald, 1959) and a reasonably clear Hue of approach lias been evolved. Three years' experience in treating tinea of the skin and nails has confirmed the generally held opinion that the dosage required for clinical response varies widely in different patients.…”