14 ACTION OF ANTHELMINTICS ON PARASITES. 



will kill F. hepatica in the liver, but not in the peritoneal cavity. 

 At the same time it is effective against gastrointestinal strongylosis. 

 It has no effect on D. lanceatum. 



In a later paper (Railliet, Moussu, and Henry, 1911d) these 

 authors recapitulate the foregoing, noting the earlier work of 

 Grassi and Calandruccio and of Perroncito. They add the following 

 experiments : 



Four sheep were given 5 grams of ethereal extract of male fern in 25 c. c. of 

 oil for four successive days, a fifth animal being kept as check. All the sheep 

 showed fluke eggs in the feces. Four days after the last dose they were all 

 killed. Autopsy showed the following : 



1. Liver contained 1 F. hepatica (presumably alive), but marked lesions of 

 cirrhosis indicated the recent disappearance of other flukes. 



2. Liver contained 2 live F. hepatica in the terminal ducts and 3 dead 

 and degenerated forms. Hepatic lesions moderated. 



3. Liver, abnormal in appearance, contained 26 live F. hepatica and 1 

 dead one. 



4. Liver contained 1 live F. hepatica. 



5. Check animal. Liver strongly cirrhotic, contained 296 live F. hepatica. 

 All animals contained a number of live D. lanceatum. 



They conclude that male fern is effective, and, for sheep, suggest 

 a dose of 1 gram of ethereal extract for every 5 kilos of live weight of 

 animal ; for cattle, about 30 grams for 350 to 400 kilos of live weight. 

 They note that male fern is comparatively cheap and suggest that it 

 be administered by means of a rubber tube. 



The status of anthelmintics in bilharziasis is indicated in the 

 following summary: 



Stiles (1904) says: "Favorable results are claimed from repeated 

 closes of male fern; some authors consider specific treatment futile." 



Sandwith (1909) writes of bilharziasis : 



No method has as yet been discovered of killing the worms in the human 

 body; the ordinary vermifuges are useless. * * * The liquid extract of 

 male fern, in doses of 15 minims 3 times a day, is the only drug of known value, 

 for, though it does not expel the parasites [How could it?], it seems to weaken 

 their power of doing harm ; it diminishes hematuria, allays vesical irritation, 

 and reduces the number of eggs passed in the urine and feces. 



Joannides (1911) has tried salvarsan in bilharziasis in 8 cases, and 

 reports that a single injection of 0.5 to 0.6 gram (?) of salvarsan 

 in the case of adults and 0.25 gram (?) in the case of a 12-year-old 

 child resulted in cessation or great diminution of hematuria. relief 

 from vesical and urethral irritation, and a disappearance of the eggs 

 from the urine. He concludes that salvarsan is destructive of Schis- 

 tosomum hwmatobium and its eggs and thus brings about a cure of 

 the disease. 



Looss (1912) takes exception to the conclusions of Joannides and 

 states that bilharziasis is a disease characterized by lesions due to the 

 passage through or retention in the tissues of the bladder, rectum, 



