10 ACTION OF ANTHELMINTICS ON PARASITES. 



days 4.5 c. c. of ethereal extract of male fern. The weight of the rabbit was 

 2.9 grams. No, 3, weighing the same, was given 9 c. c., or 6 c. c. per kilogram, 

 or double the corresponding dose for man. The treatment was begun the same 

 day as the injection. Five months later normal live echinococcus cysts were 

 found in all three rabbits. From this Deve concludes that in doses as large 

 or twice as large as De Renzi used and extending over a much greater length 

 of time the male fern was without effect on the hydatid cysts. The treatment 

 showed itself incapable of affecting the delicate metamorphosis of the scolex, 

 an initial phase in which it seems that the parasite would be especially vul- 

 nerable. Male fern is therefore provisionally deemed inefficacious in hydatid 

 disease. 



Deve notes that his results in echinococcosis are in agreement 

 with the negative results obtained by Hall in cysticercosis (Deve's 

 error; Hall's cases dealt with coenurus, as noted above), by Moussu 

 in ccenurosis, and finally with the very unsatisfactory results ob- 

 tained by Railliet, Moussu, and Henry in distomatiasis. 



A summary of the foregoing indicates that results following the 

 administration of male fern were claimed as follows : 



Successful in 6 cases of human cysticercosis (4 subcutaneous, 1 

 subcutaneous and cerebral, and 1 subcutaneous and ocular) , and in 2 

 oases of human echinococcosis (1 hepatic and 1 pulmonary) ; a total 

 of 8 cases of human somatic taeriiasis. 



Unsuccessful in 5 cases of ovine cerebral co3nurosis, 2 cases of 

 leporine general echinococcosis, and 1 case of porcine muscular and 

 ocular cysticercosis; a total of 8 cases of somatic ta3niasis in lower 

 animals. 



A critical discussion of these cases will be given later. It is suffi- 

 cient at this point to note that all tests on man were claimed to be 

 successful and that all experiments on animals were failures. The 

 cases of Ztirn and Curtice are too indefinite to include in this sum- 

 mary. 



DISTOMATIASIS. 



Under this heading hepatic distomatiasis will be considered first 

 and venal distomatiasis second. 



Grassi and Calandruccio (1884 and 1885) record the first cases of 

 which we are aware where extract of male fern was used in dis- 

 tomatiasis. The article published in 1884 is not available to us, 

 but from the article of the following year it appears that they ad- 

 ministered to sheep a single dose consisting of 5 'grams of ethereal 

 extract of male fern in 50 grams of ethereal tincture of male fern. 

 They .note that one might use injections of male fern, but that it 

 would not always be necessary. The injection should consist of 1 

 gram of the ethereal extract mixed with 1 gram of the tincture and 

 injected directly into the liver by means of a Pravaz syringe. A 

 postscript, based on later work, adds that this injection should not 



