324 



DISEASES DUE TO HELMINTHS 



>ETIOLOGY. 



Leeches are troublesome chiefly in the Near East, Ceylon, Philippine 

 Islands, Japan, Australia and the Asiatic and the American jungle. 

 There are many species but few readily attack man. 



There are the : — 



(i) Land leeches or Hctmadipsa. These live in the 

 damp jungle country, as the ILemadipsa ceylonica 

 of Ceylon. They rest upon twigs and leaves await- 

 ing the presence of some mammal to attack. 

 '1' '^1\ They are very. active and are able to pass through 



very narrow orifices such as the lace-hole of a boot. 

 Their bite is painless and the first indication of 

 their presence may be that the boot is full of blood. 

 In such cases there is often some local inflammation 

 and sloughing. 



(2) Water leeches, or Limnatis. These live in 

 springs like the Limnatis nilotica and are trouble- 

 some to man when he drinks the spring water. The 

 ..Ml thirsty traveller at dusk is usually the victim. 



The salivary glands of these parasites open into 

 the mouth and secret a fluid which prevents the 

 coagulation of the blood 



When it has gorged itself it drops off but the 

 bleeding continues. 



The pharynx of the leech has a powerful mus- 

 cular sac which bv contracting and dilating forms a 

 sucking pump. 



The blood is stored up in the crop and its caecal 

 diverticula and onlv a little is used daily for food. 



^> 



The internal organs 

 of the leech. The 

 creature has been 

 opened from the 

 dorsal surface, and 

 part of the intestine 

 has been removed. 

 The testicles, with 

 vas deferens, may be 

 seen between the 

 blind ducts of the 

 intestine ; beyond 

 these on either side 

 the segmental organs. 

 The female genital 

 organs are in front 

 of the most anterior 

 pair of testicles. 

 (After Kennel.) 



SYMPTOMATOLOGY. 



This is according to the variety and position of 

 the leech. 



There may be bleeding from the nasal or buccal 

 cavities which may indicate that the leech or 

 leeches are anvwhere in the respiratory tract to the 

 trachea and the deglutition tract to the stomach. 



There may be irritating cough and dyspnoea. 



Bleedinp- from the skin with land leeches. 



O 



Anaemia. 



TREATMENT. 



Saline solution will loosen them when it is possible to apply it. 

 Saline solution upon the clothing or boots of jungle travellers is 



