HUMAN WORMS. US 



abounding in mucosity; in fact these worms are 

 found in tliose parts of the body which are most 

 liberally supplied with mucus ; 77) besides, infants 

 who have worms, commonly evacuate them with 

 thick, whitish mucus in form of small globules. 



The taeniae are also most frequently discharged 

 in a mu(jilaginous canal, improperly regarded by 

 Lancici as an excrescence of the intestines,f78) and 

 which Biaiicliini, with more reason, has called tlie 

 verminous receptacle or nidus, (79) made up of a 

 great quantity of mucous matter^, tenacious and 



Nature therefore is not so remote from the law 

 common to all oviparous insects, great and small. 



These eggs do not become worms except in suit- 

 able places. 



3. Besides the circumstance pointed out in no. 

 2, worms do not multiply except when the body is 

 weak, which is particularly manifest in those parts 

 where the worms are situated. Tiie debility of 

 the heart and arteries, and the extreme vessels, 

 the wasting of the body, the torpor of the muscular 

 and vascular systems, the excess of mucus, putre- 

 faction, weakness of the organs of digestion, and 

 diminished cohesion of the parts of the system, are 

 all effects of a prevailing asthenic diathesis. The 

 abundance of mucus being favourable to the devel- 

 opment and nutrition of worms, they necessarily 

 increase more rapidly in debilitated systems (80) 

 In fact, children are more subject to worms than 



adults, and women than men ;(81) in fevors and 

 15 



