110 HUMAN INTESTINAL, PROTOZOA IN THE NEAR EAST 



time during, a long observation. The destruction of the cysts is an 

 important matter after they have left the body, for if they are not 

 destroyed they are likely to be carried about by water and flies and 

 give rise to infection in other people. For this reason the stools of 

 dysentery carriers should be disinfected with cresol 1 in JO, and 

 care should be taken that the cysts are not disseminated on the 

 hands or in any other way. 



(b) Comparison of the Different Methods of Emetin Treatment. 

 The results obtained in the three groups of cases described 

 above can be tabulated as follow. In each group the course of 

 treatment extended over twelve days : 



Carrier cases cured 

 ,, ,, relapsed 

 ,, ,, no reaction 

 Acute cases cured 

 ,, ,, relapsed 

 ,, ,, no reaction . 



As regards the first two groups the results with the carriers are 

 almost identical, as can be seen by multiplying the smaller figures 

 in Group II by six. There is, however, a slight balance in favour 

 of the one-grain injection over the one grain by the mouth. As 

 regards the acute cases it will be seen that all the cases relapsed, 

 though the balance is again in favour of the injection method 

 of treatment, as one of the cases treated by the mouth showed no 

 reaction. 



When we come to the combined treatment (emetin injections 

 one grain a day and emetin by the mouth 4- grain a day) the 

 results are distinctly better both with the carriers and acute cases. 

 With the former there were treated thirty cases and none of those 

 relapsed during the period of control. With the acute cases two 

 were cured and four relapsed. In addition to the combined injec- 

 tion and oral method of emetin administration these cases were 

 kept in bed on milk or beef-tea diet, and this may have had some- 

 thing to do with the better results, for the cases treated under 

 Groups I and II were not kept in bed and had light chicken diet. 

 The acute cases, however, were all kept in bed on dysentery diet. 

 On the other hand, the cases treated in Group I were given sodium 

 sulphate mixture several times a day, while in Groups II and III 

 the cases were not given the mixture regularly as the emetin 

 administered by the mouth tended to keep the bowels loose, so that 

 the saline mixture was usually unnecessary. 



