404 Journal of Agricultural Research voi. xii, no. 7 



or not the chloroform was the sole or principal cause of the efficacy of 

 the mixture as a remedy for hookworms {Ancylostoma spp.) ; (2) whether 

 the combination of castor oil and male-fern was likely to produce symp- 

 toms of male-fern intoxication, owing to its greater degree of absorption 

 when combined with an oil. 



After a fast of 24 hours, two dogs weighing 9.5 and 16.5 kgm., re- 

 spectively, were given the full dose of Herman's mixture as detailed 

 above. Two other dogs weighing 9.6 and 12.4 kgm., respectively, were 

 given the mixture without chloroform. Nearly three-fourths of the 

 hookworms {Ancylostoma caninum) in the two dogs receiving the full 

 mixture were eliminated by the treatment, one dog passing 16 A. 

 caninum after the treatment and having only 3 left at the post-mortem 

 examination. On the other hand, out of 39 A. caninum in the two dogs 

 receiving the mixture without chloroform, only 3 were eliminated. The 

 mixture without chloroform showed some slight efficacy for whipworms, 

 but the figures are not striking. Two of the dogs were infested with 

 Dipylidium caninum, one passing a number of fragments with several 

 heads within 30 minutes after dosing. The other dog passed a few 

 segments. Both dogs were found free from D. caninum at post-mortem 

 examination. As these dogs had received the mixture without chloro- 

 form, it is evident that the taeniacidal value of the mixture was due to 

 the male fern or eucalyptol and net to chloroform. This may reasonably 

 be considered a demonstration of the efficacy cf male fern as a taeniacide. 



To sum up, it appears from the above that Hermann's mixture (includ- 

 ing both eucalyptol and male-fern) is an efficient vermifuge for hook 

 worms, owing largely, if not entirely, to the chloroform content. It is 

 also efficacious for Dipylidium caninum, probably on account of the 

 male fern it contains. It seemed to have some slight effect on whip- 

 worms, but the evidence of this was by no means convincing. The 

 combination of male-fern and castor oil seemed to have no deleterious 

 effect on the experiment animals, in this respect supporting the opinion 

 of Lenhartz (1902) and Seifert {1908). Further experimentation, how- 

 ever, is desirable to elucidate this point. 



For worms in sheep. — Chloroform was tested on two sheep weigh- 

 ing 25 and 28 kgm., respectively. The dose for each was mixed with 

 60 mils of castor oil, the smaller sheep receiving 5 mils of chloroform 

 (0.2 mil per kilo) and the other 10 mils (nearly 0.4 mil per kilo). Both 

 sheep died four days after dosing and showed, on post-mortem exami- 

 nation, lesions of gastro enteritis and pneumonia in the congestive stage. 

 The sheep were very lightly infested with parasites. None were recov- 

 ered from the feces of the sheep which received the smaller dose; three 

 stomach worms {Haemonchus contortus), five nodular worms (Oesopha- 

 gostomum columbianum) , and five hookworms {Bunostomum trigonoceph- 

 alum) were found in this sheep post-mortem. The sheep which received 

 the larger dose passed nine stomach worms and one nodular worm after 

 treatment, and two stomach worms were found post-mortem. 



