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HBLMINTHaLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS UPON THE EndEMIC DiSEASE 



Developed among the Labourers in the Tunnel of Mount 

 St. Gothard. 



By Eduardo Perroncito, M.D., Turin. 



Communicated (with an Ajypendix) hy the President. 



{Read June 25, 1880). 



The observations already made by me * authorise me to declare 

 that amongst the workmen of Mount St. Gothard, together with 

 symptoms of Oligsemia perniciosa, are found (abstracting the common 

 Ascaris, Oxyuris and T richocephalus) three dififerent helminthic 

 species, in greater or lesser number in their intestines, producing 

 identical clinical phenomena. These three species are : the Anchilos- 

 toma or Dochmius duodenalis of Dubini, the intestinal AngiiiUula and 

 liavay's A. stercoralis. I have observed that some individuals are 

 affected only by anchilostomes, or chiefly by these parasites ; others 

 are affected only by anguillule, or chiefly by anguillule, without being 

 able always to determine the differential diagnosis between the two 

 affections according to the facts hitherto acquired by science. My 

 deductions are essentially based on the fact of having found indi- 

 viduals, who evacuate nearly exclusively eggs more or less abound- 

 ing with the characteristics of those of the Anchilostoma ; other in- 

 dividuals who evacuate eggs more or less in number, with the 

 anatomical characteristics and the very irregular opening, like those 

 of the Anchilostoma, which, cultivated, give origin to embryos and 

 larvae with anatomical characteristics and habits different from 

 those of the Anchilostoma, and which I declare to belong to the 

 Anguillula intestinalis of Bavay. In patients specially affected by 

 Anguillula intestinalis I have repeatedly found in the substances 

 newly evacuated, amongst a greater or lesser number of eggs, 

 numerous larvse, moving rapidly in divers ways, having the anato- 

 mical characteristics of those denominated by Bavay the Anguillula 

 stercoralis. 



* See Appendix. 



