EPIDEMIOLOGY OF TINEA CAPITIS: I. A STUDY OF TINEA CAPITIS IN A DISPENSARY

Since the rediscovery of the pathogenic fungi as causative agents of tinea capitis by Sabouraud in 1892, only a few mass investigations have been carried out in crowded centers of population in the United States. Consequently, no insight had been gained as to the extent, frequency and geographic distribution of this disease. Lacking these fundamental epidemiologic data, nobody could even surmise the importance of the role played by tinea capitis from the standpoint of the public health of school children, particularly in metropolitan areas. The subject of tinea capitis can thus be investigated from two points of view. First, one may consider the individual case with regard to the necessary establishment of a diagnosis, observation of the course and adequate treatment until a cure is obtained. From the other viewpoint, one may consider the individual case as an index revealing the possibility of the spread of the