200 ANIMAL PARASITES. 



small attached bodies was examined, from a desire to save the 

 very rare, nay unique preparation. Although Yon Ammon has 

 hitherto looked in vain for the hooks, they would certainly have 

 been found at that time ; arid even now, a great number of those 

 in this position must certainly have the circlet of hooks still 

 inverted. 



|3. Mailer's case. In November, 1853, a soldier came into 

 the hospital with an extraordinary swelling of the abdomen ; he 

 was very anaemic and cachectic, had taken part in the war in 

 Schleswig-Holstein in 1848, ami had the ague in 1850. On 

 examining the abdomen it was found to be filled and extended 

 to such a degree by sacculated swellings that the circumference 

 of the belly above the navel was twice as much as the whole 

 length of the body. Distinct undulating movements were felt 

 in the tumour 011 laying the hand upon the abdomen. The 

 disease had commenced shortly after his dismissal from the army, 

 at the conclusion of the war in Schleswig-Holstein. There were 

 two cicatrized wounds in the right hypochondrium, caused by the 

 punctures which had been made by surgeons out of the hospital. 

 The patient died, completely exhausted, on the 1st of December. 

 A post-mortem examination showed innumerable Echinococcus^ 

 vesicles in the abdomen, in the spleen, liver, and psoas muscle, 

 from the size of a man's head down to that of a small micro- 

 scopic vesicle. Unfortunately no administration of these Echino- 

 cocci was made. (Moller, ' Bibliothek for Lagger/ 1856, p. 58.) 



I must, however, in reference to the first interesting case, call 

 attention to one observation which differs directly from all pre- 

 vious observations, namely, the issuing of a quantity of serous 

 fluid (which is certainly described as small) on the incision of the 

 outer membrane, whilst the true mother-vesicle of the Echinococcus 

 was still uninjured. This can only be explained by the fact 

 as we shall see in dead Acephalocysts, the vesicles produced by 

 Echinococcus can also separate from the enveloping cyst in par- 

 ticular parts, although never completely or in all parts. In 

 Von Ammon's case the worm had probably separated in one 

 place whilst lying in the eye, a little fluid had collected in this 

 spot between the Echinococcus and its cyst, and it happened that 

 this was exactly the place cut into in the dissection. As a 

 general rule, the connection between the enveloping cyst and the 

 Echinococcus appears to become more intimate with time, but to 

 be less firm in the earlier periods. 



