4 LECTURES. 



about eleven hundred of these " joints." Towards 

 the so-called tail-end of the tapeworm the segments 

 become more and more perfectly formed, until the 

 lowermost so to speak breaks off from the colony 

 in order to assume a semi-independent existence. 

 These separated joints are the " cucurbitini " of old 

 writers, and I would urge you particularly to fa- 

 miliarize yourselves with the appearances presented 

 by them, especially whilst they are still alive. I 

 have known the most erroneous statements made 

 and published respecting their true nature, and 

 have repeatedly received specimens from professional 

 gentlemen, by post, for determination. Serious 

 errors of practice have also occasionally arisen from 

 this source. Sometimes you may be enabled, 

 merely by a naked-eye examination of the seg- 

 ments, to determine the particular species or form 

 of tapeworm from which your patient may be 

 suffering ; unfortunately, however, most of the eggs 

 have usually escaped from the " joints" passed by 

 stool, and in this way the distinctive form of the 

 uterine cavity, constituting under these circum- 

 stances the best diagnostic mark of the species, is 

 practically lost. A much more important point for 

 you to remember in any case that may present 

 itself, lies in the circumstance that "joints" only 

 pass where the worm is fully developed. In the 

 instance of the beef tapeworm you may reckon upon 

 thirteen weeks as the extreme time necessary for the 



