THE MALARIAL PARASITE. 629 



pointed and transparent and Tiave a pigment spot; also as spher- 

 ical bodies, about the diameter of a red blood-corpuscle, showing 

 active movements and containing in their interior numerous pig- 

 ment granules. The movements of these bodies are due to the 

 action of elongated filaments attached to their circumference 

 flagella. A third form in which these parasites present them- 

 selves in the blood is as motionless, spherical, or irregular- shaped 

 bodies containing dark-red, rounded pigment grains. These bod- 

 ies have no nucleus, and do not stain with carmine; they appear 

 to be the ultimate stage of development of the above. 



" The blood also contains free pigment granules, pigmented 

 leucocytes, and vacuolated red corpuscles which contain pigment 

 granules. 



" These parasitic elements have only been found in the blood 

 of persons sick with malarial fever, and they disappear when 

 quinine is administered. 



" They are of the same nature as the pigmented bodies which 

 exist in great numbers in the vessels and organs of patients dead 

 with pernicious fever, which have been described as melanotic 

 leucocytes. Laveran, at the time his report was published, had 

 found these bodies in one hundred and eighty out of one hun- 

 dred and ninety-two persons examined in Algeria and in Tunis 

 who were affected with various symptoms of malarial poi- 

 soning. 



" The presence of the parasite described by Laveran in the 

 blood of persons suffering from malarial diseases is confirmed by 

 Richard, who has studied the subject at Philippeville, France, 

 where malarial diseases abound. This author has invariably 

 found the parasite of Laveran in the blood of malarial- fever 

 patients, and has never seen it in the blood of persons suffer- 

 ing from other diseases. He finds that its special habitat in the 

 blood is the red corpuscles, in which it develops and which it 

 leaves when it has reached maturity. During the attack of fever 

 many blood globules are seen which possess a small, perfectly 

 round spot. Otherwise they preserve their normal appearance ; 

 they are simply, so to speak, stung {piques). Beside these glob- 

 ules are others in which the evolution of the microbe is more ad- 

 vanced. The clear spot is larger and is surrounded by fine black 

 granules. The surrounding haemoglobin forms a ring which de- 

 creases as the parasite augments in volume. After a time only 

 a narrow, colorless zone remains at the margin. This corresponds 

 with the body No. 2 of Laveran, ' having about the dimensions of 

 a red corpuscle and inclosing an elegant collarette of black gran- 

 ules.' This collarette is the microbe which has arrived at its per- 

 fect state, and which is provided with one or several slender pro- 

 longations, measuring twenty-five micromillimetres or more in 



