REPORT OF THE SOCIETY 109 



against the dangers from soiled hands, filthy rinsing water, exposure to 

 street dust and dirt, and from flies, which may carry the eggs of parasites 

 as well as the germs of intestinal diseases. 



None of these measures will of themselv-es suffice. The housewife must 

 realize the importance of sterilization by thorough cooking, when possible, 

 and of the most painstaking cleaning of vegetables and fruits which are to 

 be eaten without cooking. 



Pet animals must be reckoned among the important agencies through 

 which man may be infested with certain parasites. It is well known that 

 the source of house fleas in this country is the dog or cat which is allowed 

 the freedom of the house. We have cited the illustration of the tapeworm 

 which is sometimes transferred from cats or dogs to children, and a number 

 of others could be mentioned. Without entering further into detail, we may 

 say that there is a long list of both external and internal parasites of common 

 domesticated animals, which may through them be conveyed to man. We 

 must not let our love for the faithful dog or for other domestic animals 

 blind us to the fact that modern sanitary knowledge demands a change in 

 the public attitude towards them. 



Finally, there is need for a more widespread understanding of the 

 conditions under which animal parasites, as well as bacterial diseases, are 

 maintained and disseminated. Sanitary measures cannot be enforced 

 until such knowledge prevails among the masses. Enormous strides in 

 this direction have been made in the last few years. Let us do our part to- 

 wards bringing about still greater advances in the future. 



Explanation of Plates 



Fig. 1. A portion of the liver of a mouse, showing a cyst of the cat tapeworm, Taenia cras- 



sicollis. Natural size. 

 Fig. 2. A more mature cyst, from which the larval tapeworm has been extruded by pres- 

 sure. Natural size. 

 Fig. 3. A portion of the liver of a white mouse, showing very heavj' infestation with the 



cysts of the cat tapeworm. Natural size. 

 Figure 4. Cysts of a dog tapeworm. Taenia serrata, in the body cavity of a rabbit. Natural 



size. 

 Figure 5. A portion of two mature segments of Taenia serrata, from the dog, showing the 



reproductive organs. Magnified 12 diameters. 

 Figure. 6. A single ripe segment of Taenia serrata from the dog, showing myriads of eggs 



ready to be scattered. Magnified 12 diam. 

 Fig. 7. One of the ways in which parasites may be transferred from animals to children. 



Illustration from Riley and Johannsen. 

 Figs. 8 and 9. Types of insanitary privies all too common. They furnish ideal conditions 



for the transmission of intestinal parasites and such diseases as typhoid and dysentery. 



Illustration from Stiles, 1910. 



