NATORE 
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1916. 
A ‘TEXT-BOOK OF HUMAN 
PARASITOLOGY. 
The Animal Parasites of Man. By Dr. H. B. 
Fantham, Prof. J. W. W. Stephens, and Prof. 
F. V. Theobald. Pp. xxxii+g9o00. (London: 
John Bale, Sons and Danielsson, Ltd., 1916.) 
Price 45s. net. 
HIS volume is, according to the title-page, 
partly adapted from the fourth edition 
(1908) of Braun’s “Die Tierischen Parasiten des 
Menschen,” but the section on the Protozoa has 
been almost entirely rewritten in order to bring 
it up to date, and the section on the worms has 
received so many additions to its text and figures, 
and has consequently been remodelled to such an 
extent, that it also may be regarded as in large 
degree new. 
An introductory chapter deals in an interesting 
manner with the general characters of parasites 
and the influence of parasites on their hosts. 
The section on Protozoa (186 pages, by Dr. 
Fantham) contains a systematic account of the 
Protozoa known to occur in man, and also of the 
more important forms, especially the trypano- 
somes, which have been found in animals— 
laboratory, domestic, to 
come under the notice of medical officers. In 
addition to the undoubted Protozoa, the Spiro- 
chetes and the Chlamydozoa receive adequate 
treatment. The morphology and life-history (so 
far as this is ascertained) of the various organisms 
are stated in clear and concise terms, and the 
results of recent work—up to about July, 1915— 
are incorporated, the later papers being noticed 
in an appendix, which also contains directions for 
preparing culture media and some helpful notes 
on general protozoological technique. 
There does not appear to be any mention of 
Ameebe of the limax type, found from time to 
time in the large intestine of man; a statement 
of the characters of this type of Amceba would 
have been helpful. 
The whole account is well done, but. the part 
dealing with the flagellates may be a 
commended. . 
The section on the flat and round worms (271 
pages, by Prof. Stephens) is an. excellent. piece of 
work, in which the numerous recent researches on 
these groups have received full attention. .By the 
insertion, in the section on Schistosoma (Bil- 
harzia),. of a slip giving the characters. of the two 
species, S. haematobium and S. mansoni, based on 
the observations of the War Office Bilharzia Mis- 
sion in Egypt, the literature on these parasites is 
brought down to March, 1916. The anatomy of. 
the adult, the characters of the egg and the known 
larval stages, the accompanying symptoms, and 
the pathological effects of the various parasitic 
worms recorded from man are clearly set forth. 
Special praise is due to the author for the excel- 
lence of the illustrations, many of which are either 
new or reproduced from recent memoirs. 
NO. 2460, VOL. 98] 
395 
The section on the Arthropoda (133 pages, by 
Prof. Theobald) gives a systematic account of the 
mites, ticks, and insects which have been recorded 
as attacking man. Much unaltered text from the 
previous edition has been retained, and with this 
numerous paragraphs dealing with new matter 
have been incorporated. This has no doubt been 
the cause of the use in places of obsolete nomen- 
clature, e.g. the dog flea is named Pulex serra- 
ticeps on p. 546; itscorrect modern name is given 
on the next page, but without any suggestion that 
the two names are in any way synonymous. 
The first part of this section deals with the 
Arachnida—mites, ticks, etc. Much work has 
been done on ticks since the last edition was 
issued, and many excellent figures have been pub- 
lished, but the present account is illustrated only 
with the four figures from the edition of 1906. 
The legend of one of these (Fig. 3598) is incor- 
rect, the structure shown being the terminal part 
of the chelicera and not “the terminal joint of the 
maxillary palpi.” The statement of the char- 
acters of some of the species of ticks is entirely 
inadequate, e.g. Amblyomma cajennense is “ char- 
acterised by the possession of eyés,” and no other 
characters are given except the measurements of 
the adult male and female. 
The short account of the lice is reprinted with 
the old figures from the edition of 1906, and there 
is no reference to the body-louse as carrier of 
relapsing fever and typhus. The five figures of 
fleas in the former edition are reprinted; new 
figures should have been added to enable the 
reader to follow-the essential differences between 
the principal genera described.. The characters 
of the plague-flea are insufficiently set forth, and 
in the short paragraph on the relation of this flea 
to plague is the statement: “ How the flea infects 
man does not apparently. seem to have been 
proved, as it does not do so through its bite.” 
The work of Bacot and Martin on the part played 
by fleas in which the proventriculus is blocked 
by a culture of plague bacilli has evidently been 
overlooked. 
In the account of the structure of a mosquito 
two-defects. may be noted: on pp. 548 (last line) 
to 550 the terms labium and labrum are transposed 
(as in the last edition); and the mosquito’ s 
cesophagus bears one large ventral diverticulum.in 
addition to the two small lateral (really dorso- 
lateral) ones mentioned on p. 550. The account 
of Phlebotomus is wanting in several respects, 
e.g. the statement of the characters of the larva 
is so defective as to be valueless. 
The difficulties to: be overcome in preparing an 
adequate account of insects in relation to man 
are undoubtedly great, but the present account 
does not attain the same high standard of accuracy 
and completeness as the first two sections of the 
volume. 
A supplement (115 pages) contains a Beansla: 
tion of Dr. Seifert’s appendix to the last German 
edition giving clinical and therapeutical notes. 
The first part of this, on the Protozoa, has been 
Jargely rewritten, but the parts on parasitic worms 
and arthropods are little changed. 
R 
