Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow of Mycology

Abstract

Fungi are a part of environmental life. The use of yeasts dates back to Sumeria 7000 B.C for beer. Fungi essentially produce beer, wine, citric acid, single cell protein, fodder yeast, and baker’s yeast. Fungi had become objects of interest with a growing awareness as a material for botanical investigation at the beginning of 1900s. It had contributed to development of Biology, and Botany in the first fifty years of the 20th century. Fungi are suitable material for investigation, as they can be cultured under controlled conditions within a short time and remain stable for long-term investigations as well. Diversity of physiological activity, eighty to ninety thousand species within their versatility according to taxonomic prejudice, from singlecelled forms and simple aggregates to branching filamentous pattern, sexual and asexual reproduction, and fusion between filaments had made them study subject for scientists. Progress in mycological work contributed to Botany and increased the interest in this area [1]. However, fundamental of mycology was laid before. Dr. John Gill was firstly reported Mycetoma as Madura foot by in a dispensary report of the Madras Medical Service of British Army in India in 1842. Nevertheless, French missionaries defined a disease similar to mycetoma in Pondicherry in 1714. Godfrey, a surgeon, described mycetoma in 1846 as Morbus tuberculosis paddies. Carter published the monograph in 1874 as ‘‘on mycetoma or the fungus disease of India’’ [1]. Rhinosporidiosis, Tinea capitis, Chromoblastomycosis, pulmonary mycoses, and animal to man dermatomycoses were presented as published studies in India as well [2-6].