194 PARASITIC AMCEBJE OF MAN. 



sitic amoebae of man has been entirely due to the 

 ignorance of investigators regarding the biology of 

 this class of protozoa. It cannot be denied that many 

 observers have mistaken ordinary water amoebae for 

 parasitic species and thus the literature is filled with 

 contradictory statements and absurd deductions. 



The differentiation of the parasitic amoebae of man, 

 while it requires experience, is not very difficult in 

 most instances, and certainly justifies Schaudinn's 

 classification. In a previous communication I said: 



"I am convinced that many cases have been 

 diagnosed amoebic dysentery, which in reality 

 presented the harmless Entamceba coli in the feces, 

 this organism being mistaken for Entamoeba histo- 

 lytica. This mistake might easily be made in patients 

 suffering from acute enteritis, in which it is more 

 than probable that the majority would present Enta- 

 mceba coli in the feces, and this fact undoubtedly 

 explains the numerous instances of so-called amoebic 

 dysentery with rapid and complete recovery. 



" From my experience there is no disease so re- 

 sistent to treatment and in which a prognosis is so 

 discouraging as amoebic dysentery. Everyone is 

 familiar with the fact that amoebic dysentery recurs 

 even after long periods of time, and it is very im- 

 portant, both to the patient and the physician, to 



