648 THE ANIMAL PARASITES OF MAN 



assumes that the anaemia is secondary, as the toxin of the cephalic 

 glands, as the parasites bite, penetrates the mucosa and thence into 

 the blood, where it dissolves the red blood corpuscles. Fomani 1 

 discusses the agglutinating haemolytic action of the serum of ancy- 

 lostome patients. Whether Ancylostoma produce toxins and what 

 is their nature, or whether the loss of blood causes the anaemia, 

 Liefmann 2 was unable definitely to determine ; haemolytic substances 

 do not appear to take any part in it. 



Berti 8 also is inclined to attribute the anaemia to metabolic 

 products of the ancylostomes ; he found, in fact, that a serum obtained 

 from a sheep (after subcutaneous injections of the culture fluid of 

 ancylostome larvae) was efficacious in the treatment of ancylostome 

 anaemia. Peiper 4 likewise assumes that the parasite secretes a cell 

 toxin. Lobker 5 at the present day still maintains that the cause of 

 the disease must be looked for really, if not perhaps entirely, in the 

 continued withdrawal of blood by the parasites ; the secretion of 

 toxins by ancylostomes has not yet, in his opinion, been conclusively 

 proved. Except in the case of Bothriocephalus latits, referred to 

 previously, toxic action appears to be of quite subordinate importance 

 for the other Cestodes occurring in man especially Tcenia solium and 

 T. saginata, which are most frequently found ; thus Cao 6 flatly denies 

 the presence of toxins in the body of Taeniae, while others, such as 

 Messineo and Calmida, 7 Jammes and Mandoul, 8 consider they are 

 justified from their investigations in concluding that Taeniae contain 

 a specific toxin. Messineo 9 injected, with all bacteriological pre- 

 cautions, extracts of Taenia, dissolved in physiological salt solution. 

 He invariably obtained severe motor disturbances and frequently 

 death. The observation by Pereira 10 of a case of chorea in which 

 rheumatic and cardiac symptoms were absent and which after expul- 

 sion of a Taenia was quickly cured, also favours the view of a toxic 

 action. Barnabo, 11 however, was unable to obtain a toxin from Tcenia 

 saginata. Gagnoni, 32 on account of a marked eosinophilia which, 

 after expulsion of a Tcenia sagiuata, fell within fourteen days to 

 i per cent., assumes the formation of a Taenia toxin. Dirksen's 13 

 observation has reference to a sailor affected with serious anaemia, 

 who, after expulsion of twelve pieces of Tcenia solium, was rapidly 



1 Roman!, Gaz. <L Os/>. } 1904. 2 Liefmann, Zeitschr.f. Hyg., 1905, 1. 



3 Berti, Gaz. d. Osp., 1906. 4 Peiper, Deutsch. med. Wochenschr,, 1897. 



5 Lobker and Bruns, Arb. ans dem kaiserl. Reichsgesundheitsamt, 1906, xxiii. 

 H Cao, Ri/orma Med., 1901. 



7 Messineo and Calmida, Cenlralbl. f. Bakt., xxx. 



8 Jammes and Mandoul, Acad. des Sciences, 1904. 



9 Messineo, Giorn. med. del regio cserc., 1505. 



10 Pereira, Lancet, September, 1903. " Barnabo, Spetimentale, 1906, v. 

 12 Gagnoni, Pe'iia'ric., 1903. " Dirksen, Deu'.sch. med. Wochenschr., 1903. 



