326 Dr Eschricht^s Inquiries concerning 



assuredly appear a very bold attempt to every one. And, more- 

 over, as the inhabitants of Russia, Poland, Switzerland, and a 

 part of France, are subject to a particular kind of tape-worm, 

 the Bothriocephalus latus, widely different from the Ta3nia 

 solium, it would be necessary at the same time to maintain 

 such a similarity existed in the diet of a Russian nobleman, a 

 Polish Jew, and a Swiss chamois-hunter, as would produce one 

 and the same species out of their chyme ; whilst another was 

 produced from the chyme of an English lord, a Scotch High- 

 lander, and a Westphalian peasant. 



Sect. 4. It might be reputed more compatible with the 

 Theory, if this were somewhat modified, — The spontaneous ori- 

 gin of intestinal worms might, however, be supposed to pro- 

 ceed from a different, and possibly a somewhat more plausible, 

 cause. They might be conceived to be a morbid formation from 

 the living body itself, as tubercules and the so called false mem- 

 branes are, which often possess a peculiar vascular system. As 

 it respects intestinal worms of the simplest organization, this 

 hypothesis is not without a semblance of probability. It might be 

 held particularly of the Acephalocysti, which, although consi- 

 dered worms, look precisely like simple vesicles ; the Echino- 

 cocci, in the later period of their development, are not very dif- 

 ferent from these, and the Coenuri again are only different in 

 respect of their Taenia heads, which Dr Siebold has observed 

 to appear subsequently on the common vesicle ; the same per- 

 haps may be the case with the head of the Cysticerci, although 

 these might be regarded as tape-worms, and tape-worms may 

 be maintained to be composite Trematoda, which belong to 

 the most perfect organized intestinal worms. Thus an almost 

 uninterrupted scale might be composed of the intestinal worms, 

 from those which can scarcely be distinguished from morbid 

 vesicles to those having a very complete organization, and 

 what appeared possible for the animal at the lowest part of 

 the scale, could not readily be declared absolutely impossible 

 for that at the highest. But though this theory may appear 

 somewhat plausible, it will scarcely stand the test of calm 

 criticism. The Acephalocystides may, in shape, be very like to 

 Hydatides, but if they be really animals, they will be widely 

 different from such morbid formations in their internal struc- 



