324 



THE ANIMAL PARASITES OF MAN 



died of meningitis. For several years this was the only case, until 

 1885, s i n ce when numerous cases have come to light. Spooner (1873) 

 even reported a case from North America, which may, however, have 

 related to Hymenolepis diminnta. In Europe the worm is particu- 

 larly frequent in Sicily, but it has also been repeatedly observed in 

 North Italy ; it has, moreover, been reported from Russia, Servia, 

 England, France, Germany, North and South America, the Philippines, 



FIG. 2.22. Hy- 

 menolepis nana, v. 

 Sieb. About 12 i. 

 (After Leuckart.) 



FIG. 223. Hymenolepis 

 nana : head. Enlarged. 

 (After Mertens.) 



FIG. 224. Hymenolepis 

 nana : an egg. Highly mag- 

 nified. (After Grassi.) 



(M^ijj 



/' 



m 



FIG. 225. Longitudinal 

 section through the intes- 

 tinal villus of a rat, with the 

 larva (cysticercoid) of Hy- 

 menolepis mttrina. Magni- 

 fied. (After Grassi and 

 Rovelli.) 



Siam and Japan, in all over 100 cases. Notwithstanding its 

 small size this worm causes considerable disorders in its hosts 

 mostly children as it sets up loss of appetite, diarrhoea, various 

 nervous disturbances, and even epilepsy ; all these symptoms, how- 

 ever, disappear after the expulsion of the parasites, which are generally 

 present in large numbers. 



The development as well as the manner of infection is still 

 unknown ; Grassi is of opinion that Hymenolepis nana is indeed 

 merely a variety of Hymenolepis uinrina, Duj., which lives in rats. 



