FLESH PARASITES OF MARINE FOOD FISHES. 1 207 



and an equal number, corresponding in length and depth, of nonparasitized, or 

 but slightly parasitized fish. The two sets were weighed and the weights com- 

 pared. This was repeated a number of times. In each instance the parasitized 

 fish weighed less than the others. 



2. It can be quite confidently asserted, although no feeding experiments have 

 been attempted, that these cysts, even if they were to be swallowed uncooked, 

 would fail to develop in man, or indeed in any warm-blooded animal. Even 

 among fishes they are restricted to a few closely related sharks for their final 

 hosts. 



3. The greatest impairment which is wrought on the value of the butterfish as 

 food by this parasite is the subjective effect which the knowledge of its presence 

 in the flesh of the fish has on the mind or imagination of the consumer. This is 

 probably in large part due to the fact that the parasite is a parasite, and especially 

 a worm parasite. The conjunction of such appetite-destroying ideas as are 

 embraced in the mere words worm and parasite is bad enough, but when one 

 substitutes the word cestode for worm, and then is obliged to confess that the 

 word cestode means tapeworm the situation is not made better in the least. 



Touching the matter of the discovery of this parasite in the flesh of the 

 butterfish, I may be permitted to say that I am very sorry to be the bearer of 

 this painful news. Possibly some compensation will be afforded by the further 

 intelligence which I feel warranted in bringing that the plight of the butter- 

 fish is a most exceptional one, and that so far as my investigations have gone, 

 it can be stated with entire confidence that the flesh of the marine food fishes is, 

 to a very high degree, free from parasites. Certainly the examination of such 

 excellent food fishes as the scup, bonito, squeteague, flounders, etc., as shown 

 in the appended tables, is sufficient to warrant the conclusion that so far at 

 least as the investigation has progressed, the presence of parasites in the flesh 

 of our marine food fish, excepting always from this guaranty the butterfish, 

 is very exceptional. 



