Page:Tropical Diseases.djvu/956

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898
DISEASES OF THE SKIN
[CHAP.

this, pus forms around her distended abdomen, which now raises the inflamed integument into a pea-like elevation. After the eggs are laid (according to some, before this process) the superjacent skin ulcerates and the chigger is expelled, leaving a small sore which, if

Fig. 210.—Chiggers in sole of foot. (From a photograph by Daniels.)

infected by any pathogenic micro-organism, as the bacterium of phagedæna or of tetanus, may lead to grave consequences.

Naturally, being nearest the ground, the feet are the parts most commonly infested by chiggers. The soles of the feet (Fig. 210), the skin between the toes, and that at the roots of the nails are favourite situations.