24 American Fisheries Society 



on the viscera of most species of fish, sometimes in large 

 numbers. But in the flesh of food fish they are of infre- 

 quent occurrence. 



While nematodes in food are not necessarily injurious, 

 even if taken in uncooked food, there is a natural and 

 justifiable prejudice against them as an article of diet. 

 Certain of them, as is well known in the case of trichina 

 of pork, may be inimical to health or even to life itself. 

 That there should have been uneasiness, therefore, occa- 

 sioned by the noticing of the presence of nenatodes in 

 a food fish is not a thing to be marvelled at. But that 

 the health authorities of New York did not inform them- 

 selves of the true nature of this case is regretable to say 

 the least. 



ALLEGED OCCURRENCE OF NEMATODES IN THE FLESH OF 

 THE BUTTERFISH. 



Now what are the facts with regard to the occurrence 

 of nematode parasites in the flesh of the butterfish ? That 

 they occur on the viscera and especially on and among 

 the pyloric caeca is certain. That they were found in 

 the flesh, except as they were carried there by the knife 

 used in opening the fish, from which lodgement they would 

 have been removed in washing the fish in preparation 

 for the table, there is much more reason to doubt than 

 to believe. The New York health authorities were re- 

 quested to forward to the Bureau of Fisheries examples 

 of butterfish containing nematodes in the flesh. In re- 

 sponse to this request suspected fish were sent, but no 

 nematodes could be found in their flesh. 



Since my interview with the New York health officials 

 I have gone over my notes of examinations of butterfish 

 for flesh parasites with the following results : It should 

 be noted in the first place that the butterfish which were 

 examined for parasites in the flesh were examined for 

 the purpose of making a record of the frequency of 

 occurience of cestode cysts. As the examinations were 

 made a record was kept in columns with the headings: 

 "No cysts seen," "very few," "few," "many," "numer- 



