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sites, and that he had informed the health officer of the 

 circumstance, and the sale of the fish had been stopped. On 

 examination he found that the one he had purchased was 

 similarly affected. The people who came in from the 

 country to sell these fish felt annoyed at the sale being 

 stopped, and very naturally so, but the health officer went 

 fully into the subject, and the result was that a formidable 

 collection of parasites was exhibited ; the consequence was 

 that many people got exceedingly alarmed, and consulted 

 him about it. He told them if they went inquiring into 

 everything they ate they would never eat anything at all. 

 The best way was not to take alarm at the results of 

 scientific investigation, but to go on eating, and not ask any 

 questions. He must say he had never heard of anyone 

 the worse for eating fish, even if they did contain parasites. 

 They often heard of all the ills that flesh was heir to, but, 

 judging from what they had now heard, and from the 

 appearance of a specimen in a glass jar on the platform, 

 there were many ills which fish were heirs to as well, and 

 there were certainly a most formidable collection of these 

 parasites shown by Dr. Cobbold. 



Mr. MACKENZIE wished to ask Professor Huxley if he 

 had taken into consideration the question of preventing the 

 distribution, of ova from infected rivers. It seemed to him 

 that was a case where, perhaps, the heroic remedy would be 

 the only proper one until light was thrown on the modes in 

 which this disease was propagated. 



Mr. SIGGINS said that during last April he spent a few 

 weeks at Ramsgate, and in conversation with the fishermen 

 there he remarked that the mackerel were unusually large, 

 but that they were the worst in flavour he had ever met 

 with ; their reply was that the fish were out of season, and 

 no fisherman would ever think of eating mackerel at that 



