DEMODICID^ 385 



cuticle on the back is thickened in three places, shield-like ; the 

 abdominal surface without scutellum is longitudinally striped, and 

 is beset with chitinous hairs. Colour greenish to brownish-yellow. 

 Eggs o'O46-o'O40 mm. 



The authors discovered these mites, but always dead, in the urine of a 

 Japanese suffering from fibrinuria (complicated with chyluria and haematuria). 

 They surmised that they were endoparasites, probably situated in the kidney ; 

 but this view is not convincing, though they also report that for a week, 

 day after day, the mites were found in the patient's urine, as well as in 

 urine drawn off by means of a catheter, and in the water used to wash 

 out the bladder fone> or two specimens and an egg). The statement that 

 these mites have large eyes makes the discovery suspicious, to say the 

 least. The significance of the discovery is not supported by the further 

 statement that Disse is supposed to have found an encapsuled mite closely 

 related to the Tyroglyphides on the wall of the vena cava. 1 



In the case of Marpmann, who found a dead Acarid in the urine of 

 a man suffering from chronic nephritis, and in whom later examinations 

 proved negative, the author himself was of opinion that the mite had reached 

 the urine from outside. 2 , 



We are certainly acquainted with mites living endoparasitically, namely, 

 the Cysticolae Analgesinae, of which Laminosioptes gallindrum live in the 

 intra-muscular and subcutaneous connective tissue of fowls, and Cytoleichus 

 sarcoptoi'des in their air-sacs. Another kind of mite (Halarachne halichceri] 

 is occasionally found in the nasal mucous membrane of the seal (Hali- 

 chcerus grypus\ and, quite recently, Pneumonyssus simicola, which is more 

 nearly related to Halarachne, has been found in the lung of Cynocephalus sp. 

 It is, therefore, not beyond the bounds of probability that endo- 

 parasitic mites are found in man ; but no discovery has hitherto been 

 made that is sufficiently convincing to banish all doubts. 3 



9. Fam. Demodicidce (Mites of the hair follicles). 



Small acarina, elongated in worm-like fashion, with annulated abdomen, and 

 without eyes or tracheae. The mouth parts consist of a suctorial proboscis 

 and three jointed palpi ; the legs are short, and have three segments with 



1 Miyake, H., and J. Scriba, " Vorl. Mitth. iib. ein. neuen Paras, d. Mensch." (Berl. 

 klin. Wchsch., 1893, No. 16, p. 374), " Nephroph. sang., ein neuer menschl. Par i. 

 Urogenitalapp " (Mitth. a. d. med. Facult. d. K. jap. Univ., iii., p. i). 



2 Marpmann, " Ueb. d. Votk. v. Milben i. Harn." (Centr. f. Bakt., Paras., u. Infekt., 

 1898, xxv., p. 304). 



3 Me^nin P " Mim. sur les Ac. par. du tissu cellul. et des hours, atrienn. chez les 

 oiseaux " (Jouni de Van. et de la phys., 1879); Allman, G., ; ( Descr. of a New Gen. 

 of Trach Arach." (Ann. and Mag. of Nat. Hist., 1847, xx., p. 47.) ; Kramer, P., Ueb. 

 Halarach halich." (Zeitsch. f. d. ges. Naturw., Halle, 1885, Iviii., p. 46); Grijns, G., 

 and J. De Haan, " Acar. als cndop." (Geneesk. Tijdsch. v. Nederl. Indie., 1901, part 41, 

 i p 176)' Banks, N., "A New Genus of Endop., Acar." (ibid., p. 334); Haan, J. 

 de, and G.' Grijns, " Eine neue endop. Acaridc " (C. i. B., P. uAI. [i], 1901, xxx., p. 7); 



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