L56 



Here I may remark, that when young micro scopists stumble upon little 

 worms coiled up in cysts and occupying the tissues of any animal, they are 

 very apt to jump to the conclusion that they have discovered instances of 

 the trichina disease. At least a score of such fancied discoveries, affecting 

 widely differing classes of animals, have been published as genuine examples 

 of Trichinosis. Perhaps the most stupid and foolish announcement that 

 was ever made on this subject is that which concerned the alleged " Out- 

 break of Trichinosis on board the training-ship ' Cornwall.' " This ridiculous 

 "out-put" by the Local Government Board — this genuine mare's-nest, as 

 we may call it — occupied the attention of the wise-acres of both Houses of 

 Parliament ; nevertheless, about three months before the Board published 

 their " Report," I stated in the Times newspaper, and also publicly in St. 

 George's Hall, that the so-called Trichinae (detected in the exhumed body of 

 the lad who died) were neither more nor less than rhabditiform nematoids, 

 probably accidentally introduced. This conclusion proved to be substan- 

 tially correct. 



My first acquaintance with the larvse of Olulanus tricuspis dates some 35 

 years back; that is to say, long before the publication of Leuckart's descrip- 

 tion of the adult worm. 



Whilst at work in the Anatomical Museum of the University of Edin- 

 burgh, as curator, a young cat in my room suddenly rushed about and 

 finally fell dead, asphyxiated. Whilst it was yet warm I dissected its 

 body, and never from that day to this have I seen so remarkable a display 

 of lung-parasites. Tens of thousands of embryonic nematoids lay coiled in 

 cysts occupying every part of both lungs. The parasites were moving 

 freely within the cysts, and the tissues were so fully infested that those 

 air-cells which were not actually invaded were so compressed as to pro- 

 duce general obstruction (hepatisation). Drawings were made at the time, 

 but I retain no specimens from that particular case. 



However, from another instance of the same disease I am enabled, 

 through the kindness of Mr. J. W. Groves, F.R.M.S., to show you some 

 beautiful stained sections of a lung infested by these little entozoa. If 

 you compare Mr. Grove's sections with the illustration suspended on the 

 wall, you will perceive that the appearances presented by the worms and 

 their cysts are effectively demonstrated. 



In 187G, Dr. Stirling, of Edinburgh, submitted to me, for identification, 

 a portion of cat's lung containing worms. Speaking of the entozoon, he 

 wrote : " In the alveolar tissue I found a small nematoid worm coiled up 

 within a cyst. It is much smaller in size than a Trichina, and there are 

 usually two and a half turns of it within the cyst." Now, the slides on the 

 table have been prepared by Mr. Groves from the identical specimen sent 

 to me by Dr. Stirling. 



What is known respecting the life-history of the worm is chiefly due to 

 the investigations of Leuckart, the published observations of Dr. Stirling 

 being limited to the appearances presented by the encysted embryos. 

 Briefly stated the facts are as follows : — In the adult state, Olulanus 

 tricuspis dwells in and upon the mucous membrane of the stomach of the 

 cat. It is a very small worm, the adult female only attaining the l-25th of 



