438 



APPENDIX C. 



On Dactylius aculeatus, a worm inhabiting the human body, 

 described by Mr. T. B. Curling, and Spiroptera horninis. 



Whilst the slieets of this translation were passing through the 

 press, my attention was called to a case related by Mr. Curling, 

 Surgeon to the London Hospital, in the twenty-second volume of 

 the ' Medico- Chirurgical Transactions/ As the history of this 

 case and the occurrence of the animal seems to have escaped 

 the attention of the author of this work, it seemed to me desi- 

 rable, in order to render this volume as complete as possible on 

 the subject of the entozoa, to reproduce it here. 



" May 31st, 1839, 1 received from Mr. Drake, surgeon, of the Commercial 

 K,oad, a number of small worms contained in urine, which had been voided 

 a few hours previously by a little girl, his patient, accompanied with a 

 request to know their nature. The following is the account he gave me 

 of the case : 



" The girl, who is five years of age, had enjoyed good health until June, 

 1837, when she had an attack of inflammation of the lungs in a sub-acute 

 form, attended by a peculiar hollow cough, and a deranged state of the 

 intestinal mucous membrane. She has been subject to this cough ever 

 since ; a slight cold or derangement of the bowels being sufficient to bring 

 it on. She has likewise been occasionally troubled with the small 

 ascarides. At the beginning of May she had an attack of measles, which 

 left her weak and much emaciated. A troublesome cough remained, 

 attended with fever of a remittent character, and her urine was high- 

 coloured and scanty in quantity. Under mild antiphlogistic treatment 

 the fever diminished, and the urine assumed a natural appearance. 



" May 26th. Some small worms were first observed in the urine this 

 day, and for several succeeding days, on rising in the morning, she voided, 

 from the urethra, seven or eight. 



" June 1st. Several Ascarides vermiculares were observed in her motions, 

 but no worms were discovered in the urine this day or the following one. 

 They were again observed, however, on June 3d ; and several have occa- 

 sionally passed since, in the morning. 



" llth. The cough has left her, and she is rapidly improving in health 

 and strength. She has never suffered from any affection of the urinary 

 organs. 



" I found the urine in which the worms were contained high-coloured 

 and slightly acid. It was observed that when first passed they floated 

 separately in the urine, but in a short time they coalesced and coiled 

 themselves up together in the form of a ball, at the bottom of the vessel, 

 and it was with difficulty that they could be separated. When they 

 were disturbed their motions were often very lively ; and if allowed to 

 remain in the urine they lived for two or three days. They were very 

 transparent, so that the contents of the alimentary canal could easily be 



