ll'J KALI.AfllOS ANM) rrZZLES IN' HI,OOI) KXA.MINATION 



from the stomach or intestines. He replied that there was every possibility that this had 

 occurred as, prior to niakinj; the filni, he had been examining the goat's intestines. Indeed, 

 he thought it very likely tliat such an accident had taken place and agreed witii me 

 in thinking that these parasites were of intestinal origin. 



" I think with these facts before us we would do well to hesitate to accept S^i. bmix 



oii.-stion of ciiffrii as a true parasite of the buffalo. Perhaps Professor Nuttall would kindly state if 



s.hnhoiffris there were any other peculiar forms, such as yeast cells, in his preparations or anything 



pointing to infection from internal organs, while it might be well to ascertain if there was 



any chance of the blood becoming contaminated before or at the time the blood was taken. 



" I do not write in any critical spirit but because I know by sad experience that there 

 are many pitfalls in blood work in the open in tropical countries, and it would be well 

 to make certain if Professor Nuttall's interesting parasites are really, as he thinks, 

 hwmatozoa, in which case it would appear that the Jackson hartebeeste, of the Southern 

 Sudan, harbours a similar organism. I am inclined, however, to agree with Dr. Wenyon, 

 especially in the light of what was found in the case of the goat, and to consider these 

 curious bodies representatives of the flora of the intestinal tract. 



"Perhaps if this letter catches Dr. Wenyon's eye he will give us the benefit of his 

 experience and aid us at arriving at the truth." 



Jiephj. — " Dr. Balfour's note raises the question whether SpirocltR'ta bovis caffriif is 

 a blood parasite or an organism derived from the alimentary canal owing to the entry 

 of intestinal contents into the blood or blood stream consequent upon the effects of gunshot 

 wounds. I must confess that this source of error did not occur to me in this case. 



" On again looking very carefully through the blood-films, I have succeeded in detecting 

 a few small bacilli which indicate that the blood may well have become contaminated either 

 whilst in the circulation or after the films were prepared. Mr. W. F. Cooper obtained the 

 blood as it welled from a stab in the heart of a buffalo (No. 1) which he had shot, the 

 bullet having passed a little in front of the heart and broken the animal's leg. He felt 

 ' sure that there was practically no chance whatever of organisms from the intestines 

 getting into the blood circulation.' On the other hand, it must be noted that the films 

 may have become contaminated after they were taken owing to accelerated manipulations 

 consequent upon another buffalo (No. 2) showing a desire to charge Mr. Cooper whilst 

 he was engaged in preparing the films. I may add that the blood of buffalo No. 2 

 contained no spirochaetes. 



" Whether the organism is or is not a haematozoon can only be decided by further 



observations. I am not aware that such forms have been described as occurring in the 



intestines of animals ; they certainly differ very considerably from the typical spirocha^tes 



which various observers have found in the intestine." 



Parasite-like Parasite-like bodies may not, however, gain access to blood films only from the 



"f. ™'" alimentary tract. The skin, and more especially the hairy hides in animals, and the 



andbairof feathers in birds often yield their quota, and some very curious looking organisms may 



animals may ^^^^^ ^^ added to a blood smear. It is unfortunate that some which I possessed perished 



appear in films "^ '■ 



in a fire and so cannot be illustrated, but I direct attention to Plate VI., tig. 19, which 

 shows a flagellated form found in a blood film made from a guinea-fowl. I fear I cannot 

 say exactly what it is, but I have a shrewd suspicion it was derived from the feathers. 

 See also the peritrichous ciliate, probably a cyclochaeta (Ashworth) from the gills, found by 

 Neave in the blood of a fish (Plate XXI.. fig. a, Second Report, 1906), and the curious 

 pigmented bodies found by Major Howard Ensor in human blood films taken at Wau. 

 They appear to be artifacts and possibly have an animal origin (Plate VI., fig. 17). In a 



