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Dr. Whittell said tliere could be no doubt that this was a 

 subject which was of the greatest importance to this colony, 

 because if Dr. Thomas's papers proved anything they proved that 

 hydatids were largely on the increase ; that they were spreading 

 from place to place, and that year by year a larger number of 

 people died from them. After complimenting Dr. Thomas on 

 his research, he expressed the opinion that the papers would 

 do a great deal of good in dissipating some of the ignorance 

 that existed amongst the peoj^le with respect to the causes and 

 development of this disease. He had felt for some time that, 

 although scientific men had done a great deal in investigating 

 this subject, they had not quite succeeded in clearing up all 

 the difficult points connected with hydatid disease as it 

 affected man. Taenia Echinococcus, like all tapeworms, had to 

 pass through two stages — first, as larva in the cysts, and then 

 in a developed state after it had obtained entrance into the 

 human subject. There was no doubt that there was a direct 

 connection between the cyst in one animal and the tapeworm 

 in another ; and it was also certain that there were different 

 kinds of tapeworms and different kinds of cysts which affected 

 or preferred particular animals. In fact, it was possible 

 from an examination of the cysts to predict the kind of 

 tapeworm that would be produced, and to fix upon the kind 

 of animal that bred it. They found, moreover, that there were 

 certain larvae in the cow, in the pig, in the sheep, in dogs, and 

 in man which were called hydatids, and so far as they had been 

 able to tell there was a great resemblance between the hydatids 

 of the sheep and of man. Dp to recent times these had distinct 

 names, but closer observation had led scientific men to the 

 opinion that the hydatids of the sheep and of man were identical 

 — that they were both derived from Taenia Echinococcus. 

 Personally he was satisfied of this identity, but it was only an 

 assumption which might at some future time be overturned. 

 He was strongly of opinion that this question should receive 

 more attention than it had, and this was apparent when they 

 remembered the evidence upon which scientific men had based 

 their conclusion that hydatids came from the Taenia in the dog. 

 Experiments in dogs had been generally successful in countries 

 where T»nia were rare ; but in this colony, where they were 

 common, such experiments ^vould not be so satisfactory. So 

 far, liowever, failure had attended all experiments to convey 

 hydatids taken from the human subject to dogs, and this was 

 the weak link in the chain. It had not been demonstrated 

 absolutely and positively that the Taenia was the cause of 

 hydatids. He would suggest to Dr. Thomas the advisableness 

 of experimenting in this direction, in order to get a satisfactory 

 solution of the problem, and he believed that this end could be 



