Mr Tytler on the Bite of the Ceylon Leech. 375 



On the Bite of the Ceylon Leech. 



Though an invalid station does not generally afford opportu- 

 nities of seeing disease in a great variety of forms, yet it pos- 

 sesses one advantage not always obtainable in places where me- 

 dical practice is more extensive ^ I mean that of seeing the last 

 stage and termination of maladies that have been very long pro- 

 tracted, and on which a variety of plans of treatment have from 

 time to time been tried. To the above observations I have 

 been led, by having an opportunity at this place of seeing some 

 cases of men who have been bitten by poisonous leeches in the 

 island of Ceylon ; and as the nature of the wounds inflicted by 

 those animals is not, I believe, very well known, perhaps the So- 

 ciety may be a little interested by hearing the history of their 

 cases, as far as can be gathered from their own statement, and 

 an account of their present condition. 



Bhawani Deen, sipahee, three years ago, when sleeping on 

 the ground in the kingdom of Candy, was bitten by a leech, just 

 behind the inner ankle of the right foot. When he awoke, the 

 animal was gone, but blood continued to flow for some time. 

 He describes the leeches there as being about four inches long, 

 slender and black, and living in stony places and among trees ; 

 from which habitations they issue in great numbers, when a 

 shower of rain falls. In about two months, the wound skinned 

 over ; but in its place a tumour arose, filled with pus. This was 

 opened by his surgeon, and the matter discharged. The orifice 

 degenerated into a foul unhealthy ulcer, on account of which 

 it was finally necessary to send him to this place Monghyr. I 

 sa^^' him first in last August : the ulcer was then open, since 

 which it has gradually healed ; but there is a considerable loss 

 of substance ; the skin all around is drawn in and puckered, 

 and has lost its black colour, that is, no doubt, by the loss of 



was of a thicker consistence, and considerably darker colour than usual ; and 

 the oil which was swimming on the surface, as stated above, could with ease 

 be separated from the general mass. It may be worthy of remark, that on 

 the evening this notice was made to the Society, a member then present, Mr 

 Veterinary-Surgeon Hodgson, stated, that he had more than once observed a 

 similar oil in the blood of the horse ; but although his attention was parti- 

 cularly attracted to the circumstance at the time, he was totally at a loss to 

 account for it,--).T. A. 



