AMOEBAE OF THE INTESTINAL TRACT. 



for several generations the parasites become spherical 

 in shape, the flagellum is lost, and the organisms enter 

 upon the amoebic stage of existence. 



Even when well developed the flagellate forms 

 stain very poorly, but with Wright's stain I have 

 been able at times to get a clear differentiation be- 

 tween the cytoplasm and the nucleus, the cytoplasm 

 staining a deep blue, while the nucleus stains a reddish 

 violet. With this stain the cytoplasmic body ap- 

 pears almost black in color and is not well differen- 

 tiated. The flagellum may sometimes be stained a 

 very dim pink, if the stain be allowed to act for an 

 hour or more. 



RELATION TO DISEASE. I have not been able to 

 produce an infection in animals with this parasite, but 

 from the clinical symptoms present in the patients 

 infected with Paramceba hominis and the fact that 

 recovery quickly follows the disappearance of the par- 

 asite in all the cases I have observed, I believe that 

 it is justifiable to conclude that it may cause a form 

 of chronic diarrhoea, characterized by acute exacerba- 

 tions alternating with periods of constipation. All of 

 the patients were suffering from diarrhoea at the time 

 the parasites were found in their feces, although in 

 one instance the condition was complicated by a severe 

 dysentery due to Entamoeba Mstolytica. Omitting 

 this case, we had 8 patients in whom the presence of 



