MYIASIS AND THE (ESTR1D& 27 



An old illustrated French encyclopaedic work gives 

 coloured pictures of the flies and larvae of (Estrus bovis 

 (the worble-fly of the ox) and of (Estrus equi (the bot- 

 fly of the horse), but only the larvae of a so-called 

 (Estrus hominis is figured. Recently, however, new 

 attempts have been made to identify the species 

 causing intestinal myiasis, of which the larvae are 

 observable from time to time in the course of post- 

 mortem examinations and during anatomical study. 

 Of recent years it has been suggested that the lesser 

 house-fly is addicted to such a manner of breeding ; 

 then later that another species of the same genus has 

 been found to be the real culprit. However, the 

 peculiar larvae of these last-mentioned flies do not in 

 the least resemble the fat round larvae of the true bot- 

 fly or of the worble-fly, which are correctly represented 

 in the above-mentioned French work, nor the round 

 and rather smooth maggots which were observed in 

 Westminster Hospital nearly fifty years ago, and at other 

 places from time to time both before and since, giving 

 rise to much wonder and discussion, and also to very 

 incredible tales. 



Another more credible surmise attributes the offence 

 of human intestinal myiasis to Muscina stabulans ; if 

 this be correct, the infliction would be probably due 

 to the subject having eaten damaged and egg-laden 

 plums or similar fruit, for M. stabulans is credited 

 with being normally, though not exclusively, fruitarian 

 or vegetarian. 



If any one of the above suppositions be true, it does 

 not exclude any other one, amongst many, explanatory 

 surmises, from being possible. Judging from the re- 



