ABSTRACT
Blastomycosis is a systemic fungal infection of humans and animals caused by the dimorphic fungus Blastomyces dermatitidis. The disease and organism were first described by Gilchrist in 1894 in Baltimore. The infection, initially known as "Gilchrist's disease," was thought to originate in the skin until pathologic descriptions by Schwarz and Baum [I] revealed the primary pulmonary nature of the illness. In the early 1900s, the illness became known as "Chicago's disease" because of the number of cases noted from that area. Later, it became known as "North American blastomycosis" because of its wide distribution in the United States and Canada. Reports of sporadic cases worldwide have lead to use of the more appropriate term, •'blastomycosis."
