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THE OTTAWA NATURALIST. 



Vol. XI. OTTAWA, SEPTEMBER, 1897. No. 6. 



FiLARiA OcuLi — Parasite in the Eye of a Horse. 



By Dr. A. G. Hopkins. 

 (Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph, Ont.) 



I have been requested by Dr. Fletcher to write a short 

 account of a parasite occasionally seen in the eye of the horse, 

 and which I had the good fortune to examine. Quite recently, a 

 man brought to my office a mare suffering from an affliction of 

 one eye. The owner stated that he had noticed a bluish-white 

 scum coming over the eye some three weeks previous, and 

 had applied the usual home remedies. After examining the 

 affected eye (I had to anaesthetise the patient to examine her 

 thoroughly), I was surprised to find a thread-like parasite float- 

 ing around in the eye, and white in colour. Whenever any 

 object approached the pupil, the parasite increased its move- 

 ments to a great rate of speed. I informed the owner that an 

 operation was necessary, and on his consent being obtained laid 

 the animal in a recumbent position and cocained the eye. In 

 a few minutes the patient was ready to operate on. The opera- 

 tion was as follows : an incision was made with a small scalpel 

 at the upper and otter corner of the affected eye, the scalpal 

 being introduced on the flat at an angle so as to make a valve- 

 like incision, in order to prevent the escape of the aqueous 

 humour after the operation. After withdrawing the scalpel, a 

 fine pair of forceps was used to dilate the wound, which done, 

 the parasite and some of the aqueous humour were at once 

 ejected. The Filaria was dead, almost as soon as it was outside 

 poisoned by the cocaine. It was about two and one-quarter 

 nches Ions' and resembled a white thread. 



