40 



An Account of some Parasitic Ova found attached to the 

 Conjunctiva of the Turtle's Eyes. By Edwin Canton, 

 E.R.C.S., Surgeon to the Charing Cross Hospital^ and 

 Lecturer on Surgical Anatomy. 



(rteprinted from the ' Dublin Medical Press.') 



In July last, while engager! in the microscopical examina- 

 tion of the tissues of the eye of the common Turtle, I dis- 

 covered a large number of parasitic ova attached to all parts 

 of the conjunctiva, with the exception of the modified portion 

 of this membrane which extends across the cornea. The ova 

 were equally numerous in both eyes. I repeated the examina- 

 tion, and, in five consecutive instances, met with these cystic 

 bodies, in the same situation, in the two eves of each of the 

 turtles. In a sixth specimen, however, the ova were entirely 

 wanting. 



The turtles were lively at their death, which was of a sud- 

 den and violent character, and took place in the city. I 

 could discover no epizoon on any part of their heads which 

 were sent to me. 



With such fixedness are the ova adherent to the conjunc- 

 tiva, that not even roughly scraping off the thick, slimy, 

 secretion which covers this tunic detaches them. I de- 

 tected them once within a few hours after the death of the 

 animal they infest, and, in this instance, found them present 

 in large numbers on the eyes of a turtle weighing upwards 

 of a hundred pounds. As I have already stated, they were 

 seen on all parts of the palpebral and sclerotic, but not on 

 the corneal conjunctiva. 



So minute are these bodies, that they are undistinguishable 

 to the naked eye. 



Subjoined is a magnified view of them, in a group, as 

 shown under the microscope, and drawn by the end of the 

 camera lucida. 



Form. — Elongated, unequally ovate; at each extremity 

 the body is prolonged into an infundibuliform appendage, 

 one of which is about a third of the length of the long dia- 

 meter of the body, jnd terminates in a fine point, abruptly 

 curved so as to constitute a short hook, whereby secure 

 anchorage to the conjunctiva is effected ; the other is larger 

 and longer, nearly equalling in length the whole ovum, and 

 ends also in a fine point ; it is curved at the terminal point, 

 so as to form a coil, which often presents one or two turns ; 



