Account of a Filaria in a Horse’s Eye. 287 
the hind legs.*. The only case of the kind which has come to 
my knowledge, as having occurred in our own country, is record= 
ed in the second vol. of the Transactions of the American Philo- 
sophical Society. This volume contains two communications on 
the subject,—one by F’. Hopkinson, Esq., entitled “ Account of a 
worm tn a horse’s eye ;” the other by John Morgan, M. D., “ Of 
a living snake in-a living horse’s eye, and of other unusual pro- 
ductions of animals.” Mr. Hopkinson reports the case as fol- 
lows: “ A report prevailed last summer that a horse was to be 
seen which had a living serpent in one of his eyes. At first I 
disregarded this report, but numbers of my acquaintance who had 
been to see the horse, confirming the account, I had the curiosity 
to go myself, taking a friend along with me. The horse was 
kept in Arch street, and belonged to a free negro. I examined 
the eye with all the attention in my power, being no ways dispo- 
sed to credit the common report, but rather expecting to detect 
a fraud or vulgar prejudice ; I was much surprised, however, to 
See a real living worm within the ball of the horse’s eye. This 
worm was of a clear white color, in size and appearance much 
like a piece of fine bobbin; it seemed to be from two and a half 
to three inches in length, which, however, could not be duly as- 
certained, its whole length never appearing at one time, but only 
such portion as could be seen through the iris, which was greatly 
dilated. The creature was in constant lively vermicular motion ; 
somtimes retiring so deep into the eye as to become totally i sential 
ble, and at other times approaching so near to the iris as to become 
plainly and distinctly seen; at least so much of it as was within 
the field of the iris. I could not distinguish its head, neither end 
being perfectly exhibited whilst I viewed it, and indeed its mo- 
tion was so brisk and constant, that so nice a scrutiny was not to 
be expected. The horse’s eye was exceedingly ‘dismal, ewolles 
and running ; I mean the muscles contiguous to the eye-ball, and 
seemed to give him great pain, so that it was with much diffi- 
culty the eye could be kept open for more than a few seconds at a 
time ; and I was obliged to watch favorable moments for a dis- 
* A singular case is reported by M. Cloquet, in the Archives Generales for Dec. 
1827, where a number of small worms were discovered in the eye of aman. On 
eXamination, +) proved to be the larve of the common fly, ere Rite 
which had been deposited’ in the form of eggs on the eye while the man was 
asleep. These daria hatched out, and the result was a total ot of vision: | 
