Account of a Filaria iti a Horse's Eye. - 287 



the hind legs.* The only case of the kind which has come to 

 my knowledge, as having occurred in our own country, is record- 

 ed in the second vol. of the Transactions of the American Philo- 

 sophical Society. This volume contains two communications on 

 the subject, — one by F. Hopkinson, Esq., entitled '^Account of a 

 wortnin a horse's eye f^ the other by John Morgan, M. D., " Of 

 a living snake in a living horse's eye, ajid of other unusual pro- 

 ductions of animalsJ^ Mr. Hopkinson reports the case as fol- 

 lows : " A report prevailed last summer that a horse was to be 

 seen which had a living serpent in one of his eyes. At first I 

 disregarded this report, but numbers of my acquaintance who had 

 been to see the horse, confirming the account, I had the curiosity 

 to go myself, taking a friend along with me. The horse was 

 kept in Arch street, and belonged to a free negro. I examined 

 the eye with all the attention in my power, being no ways dispo- 

 sed to credit the common report, but rather expecting to detect 

 a fraud or vulgar prejudice ; I was much surprised, however, to 

 see a real living worm within the ball of the horse's eye. This 

 worm was of a clear white color, in size and appearance much 

 like a piece of fine bobbin ; it seemed to be from two and a half 

 to three inches in length, which, however, could not be duly as- 

 certained, its whole length never appearing at one time, but only 

 such portion as could be seen through the iris, which was greatly 

 dilated. The creature was in constant lively vermicular motion ; 

 somtimes retiring so deep into the eye as to become totally invisi- 

 ble, and at other times approaching so near to the iris as to become 

 plainly and distinctly seen ; at least so much of it as was within, 

 the field of the iris. I could not distinguish its head, neither end 

 being perfectly exhibited whilst I viewed it, and indeed its mo- 

 tion was so brisk and constant, that so nice a scrutiny was not to 

 be expected. The horse's eye was exceedingly inflamed, swollen 

 and running ; I mean the muscles contiguous to the eye-ball, and 

 seemed to give him great pain, so that it was with much diffi- 

 culty the eye could be kept open for more than a few seconds at a 

 time ; and I was obliged to watch favorable moments for a dis- 



* A singular case is reported by M. Cloquet, in the Archives Generales for Dec. 

 1827, where a number of small worms were discovered in the eye of a man. On 

 examination, they proved to be the larvcB of the common fly, (Miisca carnaria.) 

 which had been deposited in the form of eggs on the eye while the man was 

 asleep. These afterwards hatched out, and the result was a total loss of vision. 



