TAPEWORMS. 45 



that she was still in the habit of passing portions of 

 the worm to the extent of several feet in length, 

 whilst neither herself nor her professional advisers, 

 past and present, entertain or have ever enter- 

 tained the smallest doubt as to the presence of 

 tapeworm. 



Now, gentlemen, with such evidence as that 

 before you, would you not at once have been in- 

 clined to proceed to business, and to treat the case 

 for tapeworm accordingly ? Probably you would, 

 especially if you were in active general practice, 

 and had little time to deliberate. Fortunately I 

 was in a position to give the case the fullest con- 

 sideration; but from the very first indications 

 offered I arrived at the conclusion that the notion 

 of the presence of tapeworm was altogether a delu- 

 sion. Her symptoms presented nothing remark- 

 able. It is true, indeed, that she complained of 

 constitutional debility, faintness, and general ner- 

 vousness, with the occasional accompaniment of a 

 peculiar choking sensation ; but some of these 

 symptoms had been observed and treated before 

 the presumed true nature of the case was pointed 

 out by her advisers. On account of some of these 

 symptoms, and quite apart from the question of 

 tapeworm, she had consulted, amongst others, Sir 

 Thomas Watson. 



If you ask the cause of my doubts as to the 

 presence of tapeworm, I have in the first place to 



