Scmo JJ^or'fns in Ilimuni Bciiiij[S. ni 



A full account of IIt'iuiiit»'ni-lift<'ri»i»t<'i-:i ultnuxious to man lui-s 

 recontly I^hmi compile*! l)y liapluu'l I'landianl eiilillcil, " Sur la 

 Pi(iUiX' (le (iu('l([uc.s Ilumiptoix'S." Arciiivcs de Para-sitologic, V. No. 1, 

 p. 13i> (llt02). 



Screw Worms in Human Beings. 



A note it'ganlinf,' the Scivw Wmni {dnnimnnyia vwrcUnria) in 

 human Iteinirs was sent bv Dr. St. Geome Gray. Screw Worms were 

 tiikcn from the mouth and nose of a female patient <lyin^ of phthisis 

 in the \'ictoria Hospilul. " I am not at all sure that they are the 

 larv;e of Compsomi/ia mnccUaria, which is very common in some 

 parts of this island and which attacks cattle, for I have never .seen a 

 single specimen of the adult fly in the vicinity of the hospital, but 

 there are innumer.ible flies of other species about. I am tryinq; to 

 breed out a few of these in a jar of earth, so that I may be absolutely 

 certain of the fly. I may mention one fact about them which may 

 l>e of interest. Out of four patients who were attacked by Screw 

 Worms two occupied the same bed, one after the other, and a third 

 the next l>ed tt) it. The other ca.se was in a more remote part of tlie 

 hospital." 



Al)out a month after, specimens of the fly and its puparia anived 

 with the following interesting notes bv Dr. St. George Grav : "I 

 notice that those bred from the larvaj have a more decided bbii.sh 

 colour than those caught in the open. This may Ik? due to the 

 fait that the former had never fed. During life the eyes arc of a 

 brick-red colour, but this changes after death." The larvnn of 

 C. iiKirclhtria have frequently been known to attack human beings, 

 enterinj' the external t>ritices. 



K 2 



