OF THE ALIMENTARY TRACT 129 



From only one stool examination, as a rule, of 

 each, 23% of this number harbored flagellates as 

 follows: Trichojnonas hominis 12.5%, Chilomastix 

 mesnili 7.5%, Giardia intestinalis 2.3%, Tricer- 

 comonas 1.5%, unidentified flagellates 1.7%. 



In this series the incidence in the warm months 

 was above the average (27% ) and in the cold months 

 below (15% ), showing that, as a class, warm weather 

 gives better opportunity for their spread and, also, 

 that spontaneous elimination must take place. 



City dwellers and those living in rural districts 

 were similarly infected, 71% of the flagellate hosts 

 and 70% of the free living in the city. From this 

 observation it seems apparent that modern sanitary 

 facilities, which existed in the places called cities 

 here, do not prevent the spread of the flagellates. 

 This has been observed by others, particularly in in- 

 stitutional surveys. Close personal touch, person to 

 person transmission, seems to play a large part in 

 their dissemination. 



Males were slightly more commonly parasitized 

 than females, 47% of the flagellate hosts and 40% 

 of the free being males. Smithies (1926) has made a 

 similar observation. Of his 265 patients harboring 

 intestinal protozoa 172 were males. Perhaps men, 

 by coming in contact with more people, come more 

 into contact with the flagellates. 



Forty-three per cent, of the flagellate infested 

 patients were below forty years of age and 68% w^ere 

 below fifty, while in the flagellate-free group 53% 



