WORMS. 355 



naturalist, and possess little or no practical value to the veteri- 

 nary surgeon, or to the owners of horses. A knowledge of 

 their mode and conditions of development, however, would 

 probably prove of practical use, inasmuch as it might lead to 

 the discovery and application of certain means to prevent their 

 propagation. 



Kinds. — " Of the genus of worm called ascaris there are 

 many species ; two of which inhabit the intestines of horses, 

 viz. : — the ascaris lumhricoides, and the ascaris vermicularis.^^* 



"The ascaris lumhricoides, or the long white v.'orm, is a crea- 

 ture closely resembling the common earth worm. It measures 

 from six to twenty-seven inches in length, and is a parasite 

 which inhabits the small intestines. It is a formidable lookino; 

 object, and if there be many of them they may consume more 

 than can be spared of the nutritive matter of the food. A tight 

 skin, a rough coat, and a tucked up belly, are often connected 

 with their presence ; they are occasionally voided, both singly 

 and in large quantities." 



"The ascaris vermicidaris is a small dark-coloured worm, 

 commonly called the needle worm, and inhabits, for the most 

 part, the large intestines. Hundreds of them sometimes descend 

 into the rectum, and immense quantities of them have been 

 found in the coecum. This variety of worm is a more serious 

 nuisance than the former : they cause a very troublesome irrita- 

 tion about the fundament. Their existence can generally be 

 discovered by a small portion of white, hardened mucus, which 

 is found adhering to the anus."t 



Symptoms. — The symptoms of worms are in numerous 

 instances of a very uncertain character. A horse having a 

 starved, pinched appearance, associated with an unthrifty condi- 

 tion of the skin and hair, would, in all probability, be regarded 

 * Percival. f Youatt on the Horse. 



