530 ^ Hcematozoon in Human Blood. [part hi. 



gastric region, and was admitted into the Greneral Hospital under Dr. Coull Mackenzie. 

 These symptoms passed away soon after his admission, but he became very feverish 

 and sometimes slightly delirious ; but the symptoms were not such as could be 

 referred to any classified disease. By the 23rd he appeared to have improved, but 

 there was a relapse on the following day, and on the 25th he became highly delirious, 

 and died, rather unexpectedly, during the night. The hospital sergeant through some 

 mistake gave over the body to the friends of the deceased before any intimation of 

 his death had been made to Dr. Mackenzie, so that, unfortunately, no post-mortem 

 examination could be held. 



Here is, therefore, definite information more satisfactory than that to be obtained 

 by instituting comparisons between the Haematozoa of man and of animals, that, not 

 only may those found in man live for a period of more than three years, for certain, 

 but that there is no evidence that they have any tendency to develop beyond a certain 

 stage so long as they remain in the circulation. For aught we know to the contrary, 

 these Filarise may live for many years, and thus, at any moment, no matter how long 

 after a previous attack, nor in what country the person may reside, he may be sur- 

 prised by the sudden accession of Chyluria or any other obscure disease, such as will 

 readily be understood by the physician when he becomes aware of the state of the 

 blood. 



If after the first brood of young Filarise, there be no provision for other broods 

 to follow, then every attack would be a step towards permanent recovery ; but of 

 this I know nothing at present, although some of the cases recorded appear to 

 warrant such an inference. Nor have I any definite knowledge as to how the blood 

 originally becomes infected ; to hint that it is possible, if not probable, that the 

 Filaria may eventually be traced to the tank — either to its water or its fish — is the 

 utmost that can be done. 



Many other interesting questions suggest themselves as matters for future 

 inquiry ; such, for example, as to whether the foetus in utero is infected by the 

 mother's blood : cases have been recorded which seem to favour such a supposition ; 

 such instances, however, may have been due to the particular localities in which the 

 persons resided — parents and children having for generations been subject alike to the 

 same influences. On one occasion I attempted to solve this question, but the mother, 

 who herself was very averse to having her finger pricked, peremptorily refused to 

 submit the child to a similar trivial operation. 



This paper having considerably exceeded the limits originally intended, it may be 

 that the leading facts referred to have become obscured by the digressions that have 

 been necessarily made, so that, before concluding, a short summary of the observations 

 and of the inferences which have been deduced therefrom may be advantageous : — 



(1) The blood of persons who have lived in a tropical country is occasionally 

 invaded by living microscopic Filarige, hitherto not identified with any known species^ 

 which may continue in the system for months or years without any marked evil 



