68 ENTOZOA FOUND IN MAN. 



by both Dr. Hassall and Mr. Rainey. The circum- 

 stance that vibriones are widely diffused throughout 

 nature, and that they are developed in all vegetable 

 and animal infusions, at all seasons of the year, 

 suffices, according to the former observer, to show 

 that there is no essential connection between the 

 existence of these parasites and the visitation of 

 cholera ; but yet the invariable presence of these 

 animalcules in considerable numbers in the dejections 

 of choleraic patients constitutes an mteresting fact, 

 and it cannot be supposed that they are altogether 

 without influence upon the appearance and aggrava- 

 tion of the symptoms. 



The cercomonas hominis was invariably observed 

 by Dr. Davaine in the fluid dejections of the patients 

 suffering from cholera, who were admitted into the 

 Charite Hospital at Paris, during the epidemic of 

 cholera in 1853-54 ; so numerous, in fact, were these 

 protozoa that each drop of fluid, when examined 

 imder the microscope, was found to contain several 

 cermonades. Dr. Davaine was unable to determine 

 whether there was any actual relation between the 

 presence of these infusoria and that of cholera. 



Animalcules very similar in their appearance to 

 the cercomonades of cholera, but not quite identical 

 with them, were noticed by the same physician in a 

 case of typhoid fever. 



The protozoa observed by Malmsten, of Stock- 

 holm, in some cases of cholera and diarrhoea were 

 referred to the genus Paramecium, to which also 

 probably belonged a species which was discovered by 

 Leuwenhock. 



Professor Malmsten considers that these animal- 



