REVIEW — TROPICAL MEDICINE, ETC. 147 



Cestodes, Taenia hremneri, is African, having been found in Northern Nigeria. It is figured Parasites— 

 in part and the measurements are given. Its great feature is the size of the proglottids, both amtinueti 



as regards length and breadth. In the same journal will be found an illustrated contribution 

 to the study of Porocephalus inoniliformis, by Broden and Eodhain. 



Pleig and Lisbonne'* cite the work of Ghedini, who, in two human cases of hydatid cyst, 

 proved the existence in the serum of specific anti-bodies, and that of Joest and Gherardini, 

 who obtained negative results in the case of the echinococcus of animals. Fleig and Lisbonne 

 found a specific precipitin (1) in the serum of a child, the subject of hydatid cyst of the liver 

 (2) in that of animals inoculated with hydatid material, i.e. a maceration of the cyst 

 membrane. The action takes place best at a temperature of 40° C. to 42° C. 



After extirpation of the cyst there is a rapid disappearance of the precipitant power of 

 the serum. Heating of the serum to 65° C. to 68° G. does not destroy the anti-body, but the 

 reaction is hindered when the temperature of the hydatid fluid has been maintained at 

 61° C. for twenty minutes. 



The liquid can be kept for at least two months and utilised for the sero-diagnosis of 

 individuals suspected of harbouring hydatid cysts. The results obtained so far, both from a 

 positive and negative aspect, have been excellent, and have been controlled surgically. 



One may conclude with a note- on oil of filmaron recommended for T. saginata, T. solium 

 and Bibothi-iocephalns latics, 1 part to 9 parts of castor oil. The oil (children 90 grains, adults 

 150 to 180 grains), in capsules, may be given in two doses, with half an hour interval, by itself, 

 followed by the castor oil in requisite dose one or two hours later, after the rectum has been 

 washed out by a water and glycerin enema. 



Filmaron, it may be added, is an amorphous acid extracted by Bohm from male fern. 



Paratyphoid Fever. Hewlett^ has a paper on the subject, and mentions that as 

 regards the Widal reaction the blood of the paratyphoid patient either does not agglutinate 

 the typhoid bacillus or agglutinates it only in low dilution, e.g. 1 in 30 to 40, while it 

 agglutinates the paratyphoid bacilli in far higher dilution, e. g. 1 in 100 or 200, or even 

 higher (in one case 1 in 8000). The paper, which deals with bacteriology and symptomatology, 

 is useful, but our knowlege has considerably increased since it was written. 



Perhaps the best recent article in English is that by Birt,'* who states that paratyphoid 

 fever is not a well-defined entity. It is (he says) impossible to find a diagnostic point by which 

 it may be separated from enteric. The complications are seldom serious, and the mortality 

 seems to be about 2 per cent. There are no definite post mortem appearances by which 

 paratyphoid fever can be recognised. He deals with the A and B varieties of the bacillus, 

 and gives a useful table of cultural differences. Paratyphoid A resembles the B. typhnsns 

 more closely than paratyphoid B, but infections due to the former in man are rare. The 

 paratyphoid group is, however, widely diffused in Nature, being found in the intestinal canal 

 of healthy animals, etc. He concludes (1) that paratyphoid infections cannot be distinguished 

 clinically from enteric, than which they are less common ; (2) a negative serum reaction with 

 the enteric bacillus or a positive reaction with a paratyphoid bacillus is not sufficient to 

 justify a diagnosis of paratyphoid fever ; (3) in every febrile case blood cultures should be 

 made at once for diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic purposes. 



Very much the same conclusions are reached by Poggenpohl,'' who points out that the 

 agglutination reactions cannot be relied upon, and that clinically the recognition of paratyphoid 

 affections is of no importance. He hopes that it may yet be possible to convert B. coli into 

 B. ti/phosiis, a procedure which, if accomplished, would doubtless do much to clear up what 

 is at present obscure regarding the precise significance and relations of the various 

 paratyphoid bacilli. 



Fox"* has a good paper on the subject, albeit perhaps a little out of date. He says : — 



• Fleig, C, and Lisbonne (June 29th, 1907). C. R. Soc. Biol., t. LXII. 



'' " Pilraavon for T.ipeworm." Journal of Tropical Medicine ami Hygiene, 15th February, 1908, Vol. XI. 

 3 Hewlett, R. T. (.J.auuary, 1904), " Par.ityphoid Fever." Practitioner, Vol. LXXII,, No. 1. 



* Birt, C. (August, 1907), "Typhoid and Paratyphoid Pavers." Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corim, 

 Vol. IX. 



'■ Poggenpohl, S. M. (August 29th, 1907), " Zur Di.aguose und zura Klinischen Verlauf des Paratyphus." 

 Zeit.fiir Hyci. und Infekts., Vol. LVII., No. 2. 



" Fox, H. (July, 1905), "The Nature of Paratyphoid Fever." Med. Chrmi. Quoted in Indian Medical 

 Gazette, October, 1905, Vol. XL. 



* Article not consulted in the original. 



