328 



THE ANIMAL PARASITES OF MAN 



This parasite was discovered by Dubini in Italy in 1843, and soon 

 gained notoriety from the fact that Griesinger was able to prove that 



Ankyiostoma was the sole 

 cause of " Egyptian chlo- 

 rosis." According to Bilharz 

 it is almost always present 

 at post mortems in Egypt. 1 

 The disease caused by this 

 worm is termed " mal-coeur " 

 in the Antilles, " tun- tun " 

 in Columbia, " opila9ao," or 

 intertropical hypohaemia, in 

 Brazil. The disease is due 

 to the manner of nutrition 

 of the parasites because these 

 worms suck blood with their 

 head always sunk more or 

 less deeply into the mucous 

 membrane of the intestine ; 

 they constantly leave the 

 spots they have attacked, so 

 that secondary haemorrhages 

 occur ; in addition, the con- 

 dition of the diseased intes- 

 tine has some effect on the 

 nutrition of the patients ; 

 perhaps also there are some 

 toxins produced by the para- 

 site itself, so that in cases 

 of long standing the condi- 

 tion of the patient becomes 

 serious. 



Ankyiostoma gained further 

 notoriety when, during the 

 construction of the tunnel of 

 St. Gotthard, it was proved 

 to be the cause of the "tunnel 

 disease " prevalent amongst 

 the labourers, and when later 

 on it was found to be the 



cause of the disease of miners 

 FIG. 213. Ankyiostoma duodenale. The male, . . 



to the left, magnified ; to the right in its natural size. and pitmen. Brickmakers are 

 (After Schulthess.) also sometimes attacked by a 



1 According to Looss (Dist. heterophyes u Dist. frat., 1894, p. 3), during 1892 it was 

 found necessary to refuse applicants for official positions in consequence of excessive 

 anaemia, caused by Ankyiostoma, in the following proportions : In Upper Egypt, 

 3-3 per cent. ; in Lower Egypt, 6'2 per cent., and in Menonfieh the large proportion 

 of 13*9 per cent. The disease, indeed, was already known to the ancient Egyptians. 

 They called it dad, or uha, and the worm that caused it was termed Heltu. 

 (R. Blanchard.) 



