380 ANIMAL PARASITES. 



When fresh, according to the statements of all authors, the 

 worm has a red colour, which, I believe, only differs a little from 

 that of very fresh, unwatcred Ascarides, by its deeper red tint ; 

 in spirit this colour bleaches, and the worm becomes of a leaden 

 grevish-blue. Four longitudinal stripes may be counted upon it. 



The total length of the female, in the uninjured spirit prepa- 

 ration at my disposal, was 19 Saxon inches; the vaginal orifice 

 was fully 2 inches from the thinner extremity, which I have 

 taken for the mouth. Dujardin says that the vagina opens about 

 1 — 2 inches from the caudal extremity, according to the size of 

 the individual. To me the vaginal opening appeared to lie per- 

 haps 2 inches from the mouth, at least to judge from the dissected 

 specimen. In the dissected specimen the empty uterus measured 

 5^ inches in length, and was ±" broad ; but the vagina was 1 inch 

 in length. The ovaries disentangled as much as possible, and 

 measured by the inch rule, with an approximative calculation of 

 their terminal convolutions, gave a length of 83 inches. These 

 ovigenous organs ran backward to the thicker end (anus) to within 

 21 inches from this. The oesophagus was rather thin, muscular, 

 widening posteriorly in a clavate form, and almost 1| inches in 

 length. Diesing ascribes a distinct nervous system to this worm, 

 saying, " in hac saltern specie sy sterna gangliorum manifestissinum ; 

 and Blanchard also, as well as Von Siebold and Otto, speak of such 

 a svstem. Blanchard, namely, has indicated two chords running 

 clown along the animal, and cerebral ganglion-like swellings in 

 their course, as nervous branches, whilst the other two last-named 

 authors only regard as a nervous end that visible longitudinal 

 line which is to be seen along the middle of the ventral surface, 

 which commences with a swelling in the head, and also terminates 

 in the head, and during its progress gives off filaments right and 

 left without exhibiting ganglionic dilatations, and the finer struc- 

 ture of which differs essentially from that of the transverse mus- 

 cular fasciculi. The ganglionic enlargements of Blanchard are 

 nothing but puckerings in the course of these chords, which cer- 

 tainly occur usually in spirit specimens, but are only found in 

 fresh and living Strongyli, where the worms are met with in a 

 contracted state. Only when we shall know something certain 

 with regard to the analogous longitudinal chords occurring 

 in Ascaris lumbricoides , will the explanation of these be possible. 

 Symptoms, diagnosis, jirogress, prognosis, and therapeutics. — 

 Without prejudice to any author, we may assert that we know 



