198 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVII. No. 944 



(1910) reported a second case from Pittsburgh. 

 They state that the embryos correspond exactly to 

 the one shown in Herrick and Janeway's illustra- 

 tion and their photomicrograph of a parasite from 

 a gastrocnemius excision in the same patient is 

 certainly one of Irichinella. Cross (1910) re- 

 ported a third case from Minneapolis, in which 

 the embryos are said to have been found in one 

 cubic centimeter of blood from ear puncture. He 

 gives a photomicrograph of one and states that 

 two others ' ' were not quite so clearly marked. ' ' 



An examination of Cross 's photomicrograph 

 shows a straight body of homogeneous structure 

 and quite devoid of internal granular or cellular 

 bodies. Along the sides are two dark lines indica- 

 tive of a high light refraction. This is probably 

 a plant hair or some such object. The trash also 

 showB in the photo indicates that Cross was not 

 successful in guarding against contamination, as 

 advised by Staeubli, and the presence of plant 

 hairs or similar objects under such conditions is 

 what would be expected. The ratio of the length 

 to the width of the object, which ought not to be 

 greater than 26: 1 for a TrwhineUa embryo in 

 the blood, is about 36: 1. These facts, taken in 

 connection with Cross 's statement that he found 

 two other specimens which were not quite so 

 clearly marked, indicate that Cross was dealing 

 ■with plant hairs or some similar foreign bodies 

 simulating Trichinella, and the ease should not be 

 retained as a case of Trichinella discovered in the 

 circulating blood. The only clinical symptoms 

 given — facial edema and a 44 per cent, eosino- 

 philia — leave the case open as far as the existence 

 of a trichinosis is concerned. 



Dr. Ransom presented the following note: 



The Origin of some High Percentages of Cysti- 



cercosis in Cattle. 



In a note read before this society and published 

 in Science for April 19, 1912, the writer called 

 attention to some cases of infestation of cattle 

 with Cysticerc\is hovis in which three lots of 2.51, 

 70 and 201 head had 25, 41 and 39 head, respec- 

 tively, infested. These cattle were all from the 

 same locality and an examination of the surround- 

 ings showed the following conditions, according to 

 the report of Dr. Eagle, of the U. S. Bureau of 

 Animal Industry: (1) the intake of the water 

 supply for the cattle troughs was in a small river 

 75 yards below the outlet of the sewer from the 

 city where the cattle were being fed; (2) in the 

 cattle yard was a stagnant pool which was the 

 only water the cattle had to drink when the 



regular supply was frozen, as it frequently was 

 during the winter, and this pool received the 

 drainage from an area containing the privies of 

 the establishment where the feeding was done and 

 from part of the city where soil pollution existed; 

 (3) the cattle were fed cotton seed hulls which 

 were more or less contaminated with human feces, 

 as it was a common practise of the employees of 

 the establishment to defecate in the buildings 

 where the hulls were stored. Such surroundings 

 give almost perfect conditions for infestation with 

 Cysticercus bovis. 



Dr. Stiles presented the following notes on tech- 

 nique and treatment: 



In centrifuging feces in fecal examinations, 

 the State Board of Health of Kentucky, instead 

 of using a centrifuge tube, is now using ordinary 

 glass tubing, smoothed off at the ends after cut- 

 ting to the length of the centrifuge tube. These 

 tubes are corked at both ends. After centrifuging 

 in the tube holder, the upper fluid is poured ofE 

 and the sediment is taken out at the bottom by 

 the removal of the cork, the cork being used in 

 smearing the feces on the slide. Dr. Stiles has 

 found this a very satisfactory proceeding, but 

 states that on several occasions he has found eggs 

 by the ordinary smear method in cases which were 

 negative by the centrifuge method. 



Judging from several cases in which it has been 

 tried, the use of flowers of sulphur seems to be of 

 promise in the treatment of infections with 

 Strongyloides stercoralis. It also appears to be 

 successful in the one case of flagellate diarrhea in 

 which it has been used. This was a case with an 

 excessive infestation, the stools being almost pure 

 cultures of the flagellate. In hookworm infection 

 flowers of sulphur has not been found of use. 

 For hookworm the routine treatment which has 

 been found most satisfactory consists in adminis- 

 tering the thymol in three doses, instead of two, 

 at 6:00, 7:00 and 8:00 A.M., followed by coffee at 

 9:00, Epsom salts at 10:00 and coffee and crackers 

 at 10:30. 



In addition to the humanitarian and medical 

 points of view in the prosecution of the hookworm 

 campaign. Dr. Stiles noted that the enormous 

 waste of time, effort and expense in pregnancies 

 that are to lead to children of inhibited develop- 

 ment who will die before maturity as a result of 

 hookworm disease, is a point that has made a 

 considerable impression upon southern women. 



Maurice C. Hall, 



Secretary 



