DE. liAMPEET ON SPIEOPTEEA SANaUINOLENTA. 297 



to the " Spiroptera sanguinolenta''^ of B.udolplii, a species wWcli 

 has already been noticed as existing in the heart of the dog. 

 Since the reading of Dr. Cobbold's paper, Dr. Lamprey has kindly 

 presented a series of specimens of these Entozoa to the British 

 Museum. Upon examination, I found them to be of a much 

 larger size than any of those recorded by Eudolphi, Dujardin, 

 and Diesing. These authors agree in stating the length to be 

 from 40 to 80 millims., about equal to from 1| to 3 inches. The 

 specimens sent to the Museum were, many of them, at least 10 

 inches long, which would show that the habitation where they 

 were found was favourable to the growth of these worms. Along 

 with the specimens sent, Dr. Lamprey has kindly forwarded to 

 me a short account of these parasites, written by him at Shanghai 

 in 1865, which I thought might be interesting to lay before the 

 Society. 



Shanghai, July 1865. 



The Entozoa were found mixed with clotted blood in the 

 cavities of the ventricles of the heart, and extending through the 

 openings of the valves, in the course of the pulmonary artery and 

 aorta. 



The hearts of native and foreign dogs living at Shanghai are 

 invariably found to contain these Entozoa, which most probably 

 have their origin in the ova of the Ascarides or Trichiuris, human 

 excreta being the principal food of the native dog, and not dis- 

 liked by the foreign dog however well fed. Tapeworm is a 

 common accompaniment of this disease. 



These Entozoa, per se, do not appear to interfere with the 

 general functions of the body, so long as the animal is otherwise 

 healthy. Sporting dogs work as usual without any impediment, 

 and many are long-lived ; but should dogs so infested be attacked 

 with disease, such as fever or inflammation of the lungs, the En- 

 tozoa become a serious embarrassment to the circulation, and 

 no doubt materially aid in causing a fatal termination to the 

 disease with which they are attacked. 



These Entozoa have not been as yet discovered in the human 

 heart, either of Chinese or of Europeans living in China. 



P.S. In 1866, when at the Cape of Grood Hope, I lost a dog 

 which I brought from China. This dog was attacked with fever, 

 and died ; and on examination of his body I found a large bundle 

 of these Entozoa in the cavities of the heart. I had examined 

 other dogs which died of the same fever at the Cape, and no Entozoa 

 were found in their hearts ; these dogs had not been in China. 



J. L. 



