OF HYDATIDS. 277 



" As the patient had not lost his appetite for 

 food, had no frequency or fulness of pulse, no bil- 

 ious disorder, no symptoms of inflammation, suppu- 

 ration, or of scirrhus in the liver, my father imput- 

 ed the fluctuation, which he perceived on applying 

 one hand to the upper part of the tumour, and strik- 

 ing it with the other, to hydatids, contained in a 

 sac above the liver, between it and the diaphragm, 

 and the gradual descent of the body of the liver to the 

 increase of the sac containing the hydatids. As tlie 

 tumour continued to increase in size, my father pro- 

 posed to the late Mr. W. Inglis and Mr. F. Be- 

 waVf surgeons, who were now called to him, to make 

 an incision into the sac, which was agreed to, and 

 performed with much caution. 



The peritonaeum lining the containing parts, 

 was found to adhere to the cyst, which, from the 

 long continuance of the swelling, seemed probable. 



" On dividing the external coats, a thick, but 

 soft semi-opake membrane presented itself, atid on 

 cutting this, eight pounds of a clear liquor were dis- 

 charged, but no small hydatids. On examining the 

 soft membrane, within which the liquor had been 

 contained, it proved to be of the same structure as 

 other hydatids, and the coats were somewhat thick- 

 er than any of these, owing probably to its greater 

 size. 



^» My father now laid hold of the large hydatid 

 with his fingers, and by pulling it gently, he detaclied 

 the whole of it from the tough external coat, form- 

 ed by the peritonaeum which inclosed it. After the 



