138 THE DISEASES OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 



the base of the rostellum. This parasite, in its mature form, makes 

 its home in the superior (anterior) part of the intestinal canal of the 

 dog, where it is sometimes met with in such numbers that one 

 could hardly believe the mass before him was made np of countless 

 examples of this taenia. They frequently give rise to most severe 

 disturbance to the canine organism, the animal demonstrating such 

 furious phenomena that they have been mistaken for those of gabies. 

 This taenia, or rather its cysticerc (embryo) form, gains access to 

 the human organism, as well as that of many animals, as the horse, 

 cattle, sheep, and swine, and gives rise to the development of enor- 

 mous cysts or sacs, sometimes multilocular or compound, seriously 

 disturbing the invaded organ. 



Examples of invasion among human beings have been met with 

 among the inhabitants of nearly all countries, but most notably 

 among those of Iceland, where, according to Thorstensen, every 

 seventh inhabitant serves as an autosite (host) for these pests. 



These cysts have been found in nearly all organs. Bollinger 

 gives the following percentage of invasions among the different or- 

 gans of the human body, taken from 252 cases : 



In the liver 176 times. 



" " kidneys 3 " 



" " spleen 2 " 



" " abdominal cavity 54 " 



" " lungs 7 " 



" " head 4 " 



" " mammas (breasts) 1 " 



" other places 8 " 



Of 9,703 autopsies, made at different pathological institutes, 

 echinococcus cysts were found as follows : * 



Berlin from 4,770 autopsies, 33 cases. 



Dresden " 1,939 " 7 " 



Gottingen " 639 " 2 " 



Erlangen " 1,755 " 2 " 



Zurich " 400 " " 



Kouen " 200 " 6 " 



Total 9,703 " 51 « 



Naturally, the great aim with reference to this parasite, as of all 

 others, is prevention. This consists entirely in keeping dogs in their 

 proper places — in absolutely disdaining all those disgusting famil- 

 iarities which are only too frequently indulged in by lovers of ca- 



* Bollinger, " Zeitschrift fur Thiermedicin," vol. iii, p. 44. 



