STRONGYLUS GIGAS. 377 



rare in man, and that a great, number of those accounts which 

 speak of worms passing off through the urinary passages are 

 delusions, and consequently belong to the section of Pseudo- 

 parasites (Pseudohelmintha). A portion of the older histories 

 of cases may also, perhaps, refer to Ascarides or Owyurides, 

 which passed outwards in consequence, of the production of 

 intestino-vesicular or vesiculo-vaginal fistula?, or to membranous 

 and polvpous blood-concretions, which from their round form 

 were regarded as Strongyli, and which had probably obtained this 

 form from the ureters, and when they were smaller from the 

 tubuli uriniferi. 



Since the knowledge of the fibrinous casts in the urine of 

 patients suffering from Bright's disease in the kidneys, one source 

 of the errors into which our forefathers fell, in stating that they 

 had seen worms pass off with the urine, is certainly abolished. 

 Bremser has already proved, that the worm of Tulpius was only 

 a coagulated fragment of blood ; and also doubted the cases of 

 Paullin and Barry ; and with regard to Decerf's case, maintained 

 at the same time with Dumeril, that about fifty worms, of 6 — 8 

 inches long and of the thickness of the stem of a feather, as well 

 as the thinner worms, 18'" in length, which were evacuated from 

 a man suffering with bloody urine in two months and a half, were 

 only coagulated fibrine, whilst he certainly does not regard it as 

 quite improbable that the body first passed, 14" 8'" in length, 

 and of the thickness of a quill, which was covered with blood, and 

 was said to have been thrown away, was really a Strongylus. The 

 cases of Lawrence and Barnett also belong, according to the 

 common investigations of Bremser and Rudolphi, to the fibrinous 

 coagula. What Bremser here still found doubtful, and regarded 

 as Entozoa, of which he says that it is not improbable that in 

 the smaller specimens, which were only passed once, out of the 

 800 — 1000 structures evacuated within a year, Ave have really 

 young Strongyli, as may be seen from his figures, tab. iv, 

 figs. 6 — 10. These, in my opinion, resemble at the utmost rolled- 

 up Trichocephali, but might have been equally well fibrinous 

 coagula, as the woman suffered from pain in the loins and bladder 

 with retention of urine, and therefore probably from Bright's 

 disease. How long such coagula retain their elasticity out 

 of the urine and in lukewarm water, varies according to 

 size, and other conditions. Dr. Wagner writes me, that he not 

 long since saw such cylinders keep very well for eight days, 



