470 THE CHIGOE. 



feet are toward the exterior side, for the conveni- 

 ence of nourishment ; and the other part of the 

 body answers to the inner side of the tunicle, in or- 

 der to lay its eggs there. In proportion as these are 

 laid, the little pearl is enlarged ; and in four or five 

 days it is at least two lines in diameter. It is then 

 of the utmost consequence to have it extracted ; for 

 if this is neglected it bursts of itself, and spreads an 

 infinity of nits, which, when hatched, fill the whole 

 part, and produce excessive anguish ; and the dif- 

 ficulty of dislodging them becomes very great. These 

 penetrate to the very bones j and, even when the 

 sufferer has got rid of them, the pain will last till the 

 flesh and skin are entirely healed. 



The operation of extracting them is long and 

 painful. It consists in separating, with the point of 

 a needle, the flesh next to the membrane where the 

 eggs are lodged ; which is not easily done without 

 bursting the tunicle. After having separated even 

 the most minute ligaments, the nest is to be ex- 

 tracted. If unfortunately it burst, particular care 

 must be taken to extract every root of it, and espe- 

 cially not to leave behind the principal insect. This 

 would begin to lay its eggs again before the wound 

 could be healed; and, penetrating much farther into 

 the flesh, would increase the difficulty of extracting 

 it. During the great heats extreme care must be taken 

 not to wet the part affected. Without this precau- 

 tion, experience has proved that the patient is subject 

 to consequences that frequently prove fatal. 



" The Chigoe, says Stedman, is a kind of small 

 sand-flea, common in Surinam, which gets in between 

 4 



