in Sweden, RuJJla, and Siberia, 139 



with which healthy people are often unexpe6ledly attacked 

 in the before-merif.ioned diilrifts. According to his ob- 

 fervations, the extenfive fens in the northern part of Bothnia 

 are the principal feat of this deftru6live infe6t, and the tur 

 moiirs it produces have been remarked chiefly by the inha- 

 bitants of thefe diftritts or thofe who travel through them. 

 In men, this difeafe generally attacks thofe parts of the body 

 which are expofec| to the air, fuch as the hands, arms, neck, 

 &c. A prick like that of a needle is firft felt, after which a 

 black fpeck is feen in the place; and a violent itching enfues. 

 This is foon after followed with extreme pain, a red fpot is 

 produced, and the neighbouring parts are inflamed. As the 

 difeafe incrcafcs, the parts become more irritated and 

 painful, and the patients are feized with an inflammatory 

 fever, accompanied with fits of fainting and delirium, which 

 often carries them off in the courfe of a few days, and fome- 

 timcs of a few hours. Some, however, get over this fever, 

 hut are affefted in the injured part with malignant and te- 

 dious fores, \yhich pfter^ remain incurable during their whole 

 lives. 



Dr. Solander was himfelf an eye-witnefs of a cafe of this 

 kind, and he mentions others which were related to him by 

 perfons worthy of credit. The greater part of them occurred 

 in the fpring and fummer, though inftances of this difeafe 

 have been obferved in winter. When the worm has pene- 

 trated into the flefh, it is often impoflible to fave the patient 

 even by cutting out the affefted part ; but it fometimes hap- 

 pens that the fmall animal which is the caufe of the evil may 

 be extrafted with a pair of pincers, ox the teeth, if the proper 

 means be employed immediately after the pnnfture is felt. 

 When this is done by cutting, the patient, if the worm has 

 penetrated to a great depth, is expofed to the raoft excruci- 

 ating pain. Old women, who perform the operation of cut- 

 ting the flefli or extracting the worm with a variety of fuper- 

 flilious praftices, are accuftomcd to apply birch-tar to the 

 wound, and then to bind it up. In one cafe, the worm was 

 extraftcd by the accidental application of curdled milk or 

 new cheefe, ar^d the patient cured in the courfe of fix hours. 

 This remedy was afterwards repeated with fuccefs. When 

 T -z the 



