PARASITIC AMOEBAE OF MAN. 



individuals showing amoebae in the stools for amoebic 

 dysentery. This advice has been given by some 

 authorities, but if it were followed out, over one-half 

 of the population of many tropical localities would be 

 under treatment for amoebic dysentery. This is well 

 illustrated by the observations of Ashburn and my- 

 self in Manila, P. I., where we found over 72 per 

 cent, of the Hospital Corps men on duty at the 

 Division hospital infected with Entamceba coli. It 

 is not difficult to imagine the condition in this hos- 

 pital had we advocated placing these men under treat- 

 ment, and yet this is just what is recommended by 

 those who refuse to accept Schaudinn's classification. 

 The fact that it is difficult in many instances to dif- 

 ferentiate the non-pathogenic species from the patho- 

 genic is no excuse for failure to do so, for so much 

 depends upon the diagnosis of amoebic dysentery that 

 it should never be made unless the pathogenic species 

 has been demonstrated in the feces. 



The reports made by a few observers, notably 

 Musgrave, of severe lesions of dysentery being found 

 at autopsy, although no symptoms of the disease had 

 ever been present, must be doubted. I have autop- 

 sied hundreds of cases of amoebic dysentery and I 

 have never yet observed a case in which well marked 

 lesions were present but that a history of attacks of 

 diarrhoea or dysentery could be obtained. It is im- 



