THE FEATURES of certain superficial fungous infections may be so typical that the clinical diagnosis is almost certain to be correct. This is certainly true for most cases of tinea (pityriasis) versicolor, particularly if the patient is observed during the summer months when the patches are deeply pigmented. Tinea infection may also be strongly suspected in many instances of circinate lesions of the skin in scalp disease in children, in chronic paronychia and in an intertriginous rash of the feet, particularly if the nails also are involved.
With increasing experience the clinician may develop the ability not only to suspect a mycotic disorder but also to be reasonably certain of the causative fungus. The syndrome of infection due to Trichophyton purpureum has been described,1 and the description is commonly accepted. The work of Hopkins and associates2 during the last war indicates that in a young adult group and