52 



Oxyuris vernimilarls 



is certain that many male Oxyuris have been missed and not enumerated, 

 especially in cases where no female worms were present to definitely 

 establish the fact of the presence of worms in the appendix. We could 

 devise no plan which might ensure every worm being counted. Again, 

 we could not interfere with the preparation of the patients for operation. 

 This preparation included the routine administration of purgatives, and 

 also, in most cases, of a turpentine enema, given a few hours before 

 operation. Both these measures — vermifugal in their action — could 

 quite easily dislodge any of, or all, the worms in the appendix, and in 

 some cases our examination was negative when it might have shown 

 the presence of worms if no preparatory measures had been taken. 



These facts must be noted in considering the percentage. 



With regard to the comparison of statistics available for 0. vermi- 

 cularis, we tabulate below, and compare with our results the findings, 

 as far as they have been obtainable, of other investigators. 



in appendicitis 



»» j> 



„ normal appendices (children) 



„ normal appendices (adults) 



„ appendicitis 



„ appendicitis of children 



„ normal appendices (children) 



„ appendicitis 



„ appendicitis of children 



(including two trichoeephalids) 

 „ appendicitis 

 „ appendicitis 



„ normal appendices (adults) 

 • „ appendicitis of children 



As previously stated, Erdmann's figure is unreliable, because a 

 thorough examination was not made in every case. 



One must also bear in mind that many of the percentages in the 

 above table were arrived at from a study of a small number of appen- 

 dices, and therefore the figures are not strictly accurate in every case. 



It will be seen that the figures given vary greatly from exceedingly 

 low percentages to correspondingly high ones, and whether this has to 

 do with climatic conditions it is not yet possible to say, but in every 

 instance it seems that the percentage of worms is higher in cases of 

 appendicitis than in those of normal appendices. More statistics, 

 however, must be available before anything definite can be put forward. 



