OBSERVATIONS ON FJLAKIA YOLVLLUS**' 



liV 



W. T. PROUT, M B , Ch. M. Edin. 



Colonial Surgeon, Sierra Leone. 



I am indebted tor the opportunity of describing the following 

 spécimen to D^' Hood, District Surgeon, Sierra Leone. He observed 

 a rounded tumoiir about the size of a pigeon's egg, on the buttock 

 of a Frontier Policeman, who had reported sick, complaining of 

 vague rheumatic pains. In appearance and consistency it resem- 

 bled a fatty tumour, but on excising it, it was found to be a cyst, 

 containing what seemed to be a mass of Filaria bathed in a semi- 

 purulent looldng fluid. Unfortunately the incision which had been 

 made to ooen the tumour had eut across the Worm. but I was able 

 -to dissect out with difïiculty a complète adult maie, and numerous 

 fragment of an adult female packed with embryos. 



Some time afterwards D^ Hood was fortunate enough to come 

 across another spécimen of the same kind, again in a frontier 

 policeman. The cl'nical history of the case showed nothing remar 

 kable. The Man complained of weakness, vague pains, an and 

 inability to do his duty, which consistée! of going on patrol in the 

 district. A gleet was discovered, with swollen inguinal glands, and 

 the case was supposed to be of a syphilitic nature. On further 

 examination a tumour Avas discovered in the gluteal région. This 

 was excised, and the Man was sent down to Freetown, where he was 

 admitted to Hospilal and kept under observation for a considé- 

 rable time. During this period the clinical features were not 

 marked. He still complained of vague aches and pains which gra- 

 dually disappeared, and there were occasionally slight irregular 

 rises of température. He was put on gênerai tonic treatment, and 

 at the end of a couple of months expressed himself as fit to résume 

 duty, and was discharged. I examined the blood on one or two 



(1) This note was already publislied in tlie British médical Journal, I, p. 209, 

 january 26, 1901. We give hère some new figures, established after authitr's 

 original pencil sketches. 



