532 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVI. No. 929' 



The patient, who was a young man twenty- 

 five years of age, had been in this country for 

 five years, except for three brief visits home. 

 The fresh blood was carefully examined and 

 smears to be stained were made, but on ac- 

 count of the well-known periodicity in the 

 appearance of filarise in the peripheral circu- 

 lation, the patient was requested to return at 

 night. 



In the meantime, the blood smears were 

 stained with the Nocht-Jenner-Hastings 

 stain and examined for possible malarial par- 

 asites. None were found, but there was a 

 marked eosinophilia (20 per cent.), such as 

 is often due to infection by parasitic worms. 



When the patient returned, a search for 

 blood filarias was made, with negative results. 

 On account of the eosinophilia, a sample of 

 the feces was then examined microscopically. 

 In this were soon found the large, character- 

 istic eggs of Schistosoma, a very few of 

 Ascaris lumhricoides, and many larvae of 

 Strongyloides stercoralis, the Cochin China 

 diarrhea worm. 



When the result of the examination was 

 reported to the physician in charge of the 

 case, the usual treatment with purgatives and 

 anthelminthies was adopted. Unfortunately, 

 the patient made no effort to save the speci- 

 mens dislodged, except that a sample, taken 

 some hours after the treatment, was sent me. 

 In this sample the three species above men- 

 tioned were present, the number of larvse of 

 Strongyloides stercoralis being much larger 

 than in the first sample. In addition, there 

 were found a small number of the eggs of the 

 hookworm, Necator americanus, and of the 

 whipworm, Trichuris trichiura. I afterwards 

 learned that following the medical treatment, 

 a full-sized Ascaris had been voided. 



Thus this patient harbored five distinct 

 species of parasitic worms, differing from the 

 two eases reported by the Porto Eico Anemia 

 Commission by the presence of the larvse of 

 Strongyloides stercoralis. Excepting those of 

 Schistosoma, the eggs of the various para- 

 sites were but few in number. 



The many eggs of Schistosoma were all 



lateral-spined. In view of the discussion as 

 to whether this type of eggs is from a species 

 distinct from Schistosoma hcematohium, a 

 careful examination of the urine was made. 

 No eggs or traces of them were found, al- 

 though it is here that the typical, terminal- 

 spined eggs of Schistosoma hoematohium are 

 most readily demonstrated. Neither was 

 there any history of bloody urine, or evidence 

 of blood corpuscles in the fluid — symptoma 

 commonly associated with the presence of the 

 ova of Schistosoma hwrnatohium in the uri- 

 nogenital system. This is in agreement with 

 the evidence recently brought forward by 

 Sambon, Holcomb and others to show that 

 the West Indian and South American schisto- 

 somiasis is due to a distinct species, which 

 also sometimes occurs in association with 

 the better-known species in Africa. To this 

 species with lateral-spined eggs, Sambon, 

 '07, gives the name Schistosoma mansoni. 



The few records of the occurrence of 

 Schistosoma in the United States are all, 

 like the above, of imported cases. Most of 

 them are recorded from transient visitors, or 

 from soldiers returning from South Africa, 

 and refer to infection by Schistosoma 

 hoematohium, terminal-spined eggs having 

 been found in the urine. Wm. A. Eiley 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 



THE ELISHA MITCHELL SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY 



The 29th annual meeting of the society was 

 held on September 27 in Chemistry Hall, Univer- 

 sity of North Carolina, with the president, Dr. W. 

 B. MacNider in the chair. The following officers 

 were elected : 



President — Dr. E. V. Plowell. 



Vice-president — Professor P. H. Daggett. 



Permanent Secretary — Dr. F. P. Venable. 



Becording Secretary — Dr. J. M. Bell. 



Editorial Committee — Dr. W. C. Coker, Pro- 

 fessor A. H. Patterson, Dr. J. M. Bell. 



The following new members were elected: Dr. 

 W. H. Brown, Messrs. T. R. Eagles, J. W. Lasley, 

 J. G. Beard, A. M. Atkinson, C. S. Venable, J. E. 

 Smith, W. C. George. 



James M. Bell, 

 Secording Secretary 



Chapel Hill, N. C. 



