Zoological Society. 379 



PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 



zoological society. 



On the Anatomy and Development of Echinococcus 



VETERINORUM. By THOMAS HuXLEY, F.R.S. 



[With a Plate.] 



On the 25th of November, 1852, a fine female Zebra, whilst at play 

 within its paddock, accidentally broke its neck. The animal had 

 always appeared to be quite healthy, and it was in perfectly good 

 condition — but, upon examination, its liver was found to be one mass 

 of cysts, varying in size from a child's head downwards. The liver 

 was taken out of the body on the day succeeding the animal's death* 

 — and on the 2 7th I proceeded to examine the contents of one of the 

 largest cysts (with a portion of its wall) and one of the smaller cysts. 

 It was at once obvious that the cysts contained the Echinococcus 

 veterinorum ; and I may here mention that the Echinococci were in 

 full life, and remained so for three days, until, in fact, the fluid in 

 which they were contained had become slightly offensive. 



It will conduce to clearness perhaps, if I state in successive order 

 I. What I saw myself. II. The theory of the formation of the 

 Echinococcus-cysts, and of their relation to other forms of Entozoa, 

 which I have to offer. III. What has been done hitherto. 



I. The cysts are nearly spherical vesicles having a very elastic 

 proper wall ; so elastic, in fact, as to exercise a continual tension 

 upon the contained fluid, which, if the cyst be pierced, spurts out in 

 a jet, for some time. 



The outermost layer of the cyst is an adventitious membrane, 

 formed by the infested animal around the Echinococcus-cyst, as it 

 would be developed round any other foreign body ; with this I have 

 nothing to do. Within this, and in nowise adherent to it, follows 

 the proper wall of the Echinococcus-cyst, which must be carefully 

 distinguished into two portions. The outer is thick, yellowish and 

 constituted by a great number of delicate, structureless laminae com- 

 posed of a substance closely resembling chitiue. It is to this laminated 

 membrane that the elasticity of the cysts is due — and it must be 

 regarded as precisely analogous to those structureless cysts which 

 surround the pupa forms of Distomata imbedded in the body of 

 snails, or to those similarly structureless cysts which enclose the 

 encysted Tetrarhynchi, and which Van Beneden saw in course of 

 formation by a process of exudation, around the Scolex form of those 

 worms. The innermost layer of this, which, for distinction's sake, I 

 will call the Ectocyst, is whiter and softer than the others, and appears 

 to be in course of formation. 



The inner portion of the wall of the Echinococcus-cyst is closely 



* I beg here to express my obligations to the Secretary of the Zoological 

 Society, without whose kind recollection of a wish to examine fresh Entozoa, 

 which I had expressed, I should not have had the opportunity of making the ob- 

 servations contained in the present paper. 



