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14
SKIN DISEASES OF CHILDREN.

small scaly disc, which appears almost bald from the breaking of the hairs close to the surface (Fig. 7). This dry, roughened patch, with its characteristic growth of short, broken hairs, tends to enlarge if allowed to go untreated (see plate), and other discs are apt to develop in the vicinity or upon other portions of the scalp. Frequently a large number of scaly points or small discs may be found involving the greater portion of the scalp and constituting what is known as disseminated ring-

Fig. 7.—Trichophytosis capitis.

worm (Fig. 8). Neglect in such a case is usually followed by a coalescence of the patches and disease of nearly the whole scalp. Not infrequently an eczema complicates the ringworm and obscures the diagnosis.

In rare cases the ringworm fungus, instead of producing scaly discs, sets up a deep-seated inflammation of the hair follicles, and a bald, fluctuating tumor or a cluster of boggy, rounded elevations forms upon the surface of the scalp. This condition is generally painful, and is known as kerion or the