572 PROF. OWEN ON TRICHINA SPIRALIS. [Juue 20, 



Among the notices of the discovery of the microscopic parasite 

 prior to the date of that ' Dictionnaire,' I maj' limit myself to the 

 following : — " It was first described, I believe, by Mr. Hilton of 

 Guy's Hospital, and afterwards more fully by Professor Owen in 

 1835'". 



The translation of that estimable work probably led to an opinion 

 common among French practitioners, and which amply justifies the 

 definition of " Trichine " given by their great lexicographer. 



Reference to a number of an English weekly periodical for grounds 

 of priority could hardly be expected in a foreign country ; and our 

 own accomplished physician, burthened with an extensive practice 

 and professional duties, may well be excused for taking on trust 

 current statements on so minute a matter. 



It may not be unacceptable, or uninstructive to our younger fellow- 

 workers with the microscope, to recall the honest devotion of his 

 time and means of observation which the alleged discoverer gave to 

 the subject of his paper entitled : — " Notes of a pecuHar Appear- 

 ance observed in Human Muscle, probably depending upon the for- 

 mation of very small Cysticerci," by John Hilton, Demonstrator of 

 Anatomy at Guy's Hospital " ". 



After noting that the " body for dissection was a male, aged 70," 

 the author proceeds : — " The subject was prepared for injection, 

 and subjected to a temperature of about 100° Fahr. On proceeding 

 to the dissection, our attention was arrested by a mottled appear- 

 ance of the pectoral muscles ; and the same phenomenon presented 

 itself in all the voluntary and respiratory muscles, to which, however, 

 it was confined. The muscles were pale, soft, and not so distinctly 

 fibrous as usual ; between the fibres, and having their long axis 

 parallel to them, there are situate several oval bodies, transparent 

 in the middle and opaque at either end, altogether about -^ of an 

 inch in length. No orgayiization could be discovered tvith the aid 

 of a microscope. A small portion of the muscle, impregnated with 

 them, was inserted under the skin of a rabbit on the back. This 

 was done in three cases ; but all the animals died within seventy- 

 two hours, and without any appearance of the bodies in question 

 being revivified." 



Portions of the muscles of the same subject were taken by an 

 accomplished physician of the Hospital, Dr. Addison, F.R.S., who, 

 in an endeavour to promote some development of the supposed 

 Cysticerci, " placed a portion of muscle in a glass tightly covered 

 with paper, perforated by pin-holes ; it was slightly moistened 

 occasionally with water." On referring to it " casually " some weeks 

 after, "a number of small flies were seen in the glass, apparently 

 differing from the common house-fly, and some bodies were observed 

 in the muscle, larger than those originally placed in the glass ; from 

 some of these an embryo fly was liberated"^. 



■ Lectures on the Practice of Physic, by (now Sir) Thomas Watson, M.D., 

 8vo, 1845, vol. iii. p. 492. 



- London Medical Gazette, February 2, 1833, p. 605. 

 ^ Londou Medical Gazette, loc. cit. p. 606. 



