OF THE ALIMENTARY TRACT 167 



urethra of a man during coitus. The number of such 

 occurrences is few enough to believe that such an ac- 

 cident may occur. Certainly, however, women do 

 not contract it in a similar way. 



If it is the same as Trichomonas hominis or Tri- 

 chovionas elongata (buccalis) the method of infec- 

 tion of the vagina is obvious. This is so plausible 

 that it furnishes one of the strongest reasons for 

 suspecting this relationship. 



The natural habitat is the vault of the vagina. 



What harm it does there, if any, is unknown. As 

 with other trichomonads the question is a debated 

 one. The character of the material in which it fre- 

 quently occurs is rather characteristic. It is not pus 

 or mucopus, it is a greyish or whitish thick fluid 

 composed of epithelium, variable leucocytes and fla- 

 gellates. The state of the vagina may be that of a 

 mild catarrhal vaginitis or more marked inflammation 

 and there may be superficial excoriations of vaginal 

 wall or surface of the cervix. The excretion or exu- 

 date may be irritating to the vulva. The common 

 acid reaction of this material led the writer to make 

 culture media slightly acid and to treat the infection 

 with douches of saturated bicarbonate of soda solu- 

 tion. The organism has disappeared during such 

 treatment. Study has not been sufficient, however, 

 to warrant a conclusion from that. 



Escomel (1917) recommends treatment with a 1 to 

 1000 solution of metallic iodine, freshly prepared, 

 or with turpentine douches. 



