378 PARASITES OF ANIMALS 



" she had voided thousands of these parasites, and was in a 

 frightfully emaciated condition, but beyond a craving appetite 

 there was little else to be noticed." Notwithstanding the few 

 diagnostic indications afforded, Mr Lloyd, being led by the 

 history of the case to suspect worms, at once examined the 

 faeces, when he discovered thousands of these minute nematodes. 

 Clinically, these facts ought not to be lost sight of. In addition 

 to Mr Lloyd's cases I have received valuable particulars of 

 others at the hands of Prof. Williams, Messrs Cawthron, 

 A. Clarke, T. Gerrard, D. M. Storrar, and J. W. Whitney. 



Practically, it is important to inform the persons most in- 

 terested that an active " drench " may be serviceable in dislodg- 

 ing the free intestinal worms, but the administration of purga- 

 tives must not be persevered in. As in the somewhat parallel 

 case of Trichinosis in the human subject, the fatality of the 

 disorder depends not upon the free and mature worms, but upon 

 the migrating and sexually-immature forms. All attempts by 

 means of active drugs to poison the entozoa, when once they 

 have gained access to the tissues (whether actually capsuled or 

 not), are worse than useless. By all means let the animals have 

 a dose of aloes in the first instance, followed by warm bran 

 mashes ; but thereafter let every care be taken to support the 

 patient's strength. Especially should the exhibition of turpen- 

 tine be avoided. Without doubt the cause of this, as of other 

 similar epidemics, is primarily referable to atmospheric conditions 

 which favor the multiplication of parasites. As the practical 

 man cannot alter these climatal changes, he must do his best to 

 check the disorder by removing the victims to new localities ; 

 or, if the animals must remain in infected districts, by supplying 

 them with various kinds of artificially prepared fodder, supple- 

 mented by carefully filtered water. In this way, I believe, 

 epidemics may be arrested, but they cannot be stamped out 

 altogether, except by the adoption of measures which would be 

 alike impracticable and unwarrantable. 



Passing to the consideration of other intestinal nematodes, the 

 next in importance is the large lumbricoid (Ascaris megaloce- 

 phala) found in all solipeds, including the zebra. Whilst the 

 male worms rarely exceed seven inches in length, the females 

 sometimes reach seventeen inches. Science is indebted to 

 Schneider for setting at rest all doubt as to the specific dis- 

 tinctness of this worm. The far larger number of caudal papillae 

 at once distinguishes it from the lumbricoid of man and the 



