II. — Some Variations in Hymenolepis diminuta 



BY LAZELLE B. STURDEVANT 



The work on this paper was begun in September, 1903, and 

 was nearly completed, when there was published by Ransom 

 (1904), "An Account of the Tapeivorms of the Genus Hymeno- 

 lepis Parasitic in Man." This paper is a- review of all that is 

 known concerning' the three species of the genus Hymenolepis 

 which have been found in the human subject. " Of these H. nana 

 is fairly common, H. diminuta is ver}' rare, and H. lanceolata has 

 been recorded but once as a parasite in man. Ransom's paper 

 contains a full discussion of the literature, with translated ab- 

 stracts from the earlier and from the more important later works 

 on these forms. It also includes an anatomical description, an 

 account of development and life history, abstracts of all known 

 cases of human infection, with an analysis of these and discus- 

 sion of symptoms, together, with the diagnosis, treatment, and 

 prophylaxis for each of these parasites. The paper contains a 

 great number of figures, almost all of which are copied from 

 various authors. A complete bibliography concludes this valu- 

 able contribution to medical science, to which the reader is re- 

 ferred for a review of the literature. 



Ransom's work has also anticipated much that I had worked 

 out. Of importance are, however, my data on the degree of in- 

 fection and on some variations in the species H. diminuta. which 

 are recorded in this paper. My specimens of this parasite were 

 obtained from the small intestine of the common brown or Nor- 

 way rat {Mns decumanns Pallas). They were fixed in a killing 

 mixture for cestodes, consisting of equal parts of saturated aque- 



' Studies from the Zoological Laboratory, The University of Nebraska, 

 under the direction of Henry B. Ward, No. 76. 



University Studies, Vol. VII, No. 2, April 1907. 



