Mr Sharp, A Coleopterous Insect, etc. 199 



A Coleopterous Insect embedded in the wall of the Human 

 Intestine. By D. Sharp. 



[Bead 18 May 1903.] 



Though no insects naturally inhabit the human alimentary 

 canal, accounts frequently appear of specimens of this class of 

 animals having been found alive in the situation alluded to. The 

 evidence in such cases is however usually defective. The instance 

 recorded in this paper is of some interest because (1) the specimen 

 was found in its strange situation by a competent observer, and 

 (2) because it was, when extracted, alive, and continued so for 

 24 hours or more afterwards. 



The following abstract from the account of the post-mortem 

 examination has been given me by Mr W. H. Ligertwood, Assistant 

 Medical Officer, Somerset and Bath County Asylum. 



B. C, Register No. 4901, was a patient here from June 16, 

 1900, to April 30, 1903, when he died of an extensive sub-dural 

 haemorrhage. 



On admission he was suffering from melancholia, which gradually 

 passed into dementia. 



Age at death 73. Previous occupation, labourer. 



His health had been very feeble for a year previous to his 

 death, and he had taken little food but liquid nourishment (milk 

 and eggs) for some months. 



At the post-mortem examination the following appearances 

 were found, May 1, 1903. 



Intestines normal, with the exception of the following : 



In the lower part of the ileum were two small oval, blackish 

 lumps beneath the mucous membrane, the upper about 18 inches 

 above the ileo-caecal valve and the other about six inches lower 

 down. The peritoneal and mucous surfaces over these lumps were 

 quite smooth and showed to the naked eye no appearance of any 

 opening. On being cut into the upper nodule was found to 

 contain a living beetle (since identified as Otiorhynchus tenebri- 

 cosus). It was between the mucous membrane and the other 

 coats of the intestine, and there were no signs of a cyst- wall. 



