98 . BOARD OP AGRICULTURE. 



COCCUS eggs, but those of several other tape-worms, round- 

 worms, and many other parasites, and is of itself unhealthy 

 and often the prolific cause of disease. If water from a good 

 well, or a well protected spring, cannot be had, the water 

 should be carefully filtered, and by preference through char- 

 coal. Most of the water consumed in our cities, both from 

 wells and the water-works, is wlioUy unfit to drink without 

 filtering. In cities with loose sandy soils the well-water is 

 the worst possible. 



Finally, dog-kennels and other places much frequented by 

 dogs, should be frequently cleaned and the litter burned, 

 while frequent sprinklings with strong petroleum water or a 

 solution of carbolic acid in water should be used to destroy 

 the eggs that may have escaped from the intestine. By these 

 precautions the numbers of this and several other dog-parasites 

 might be much diminished. Dogs might also receive a 

 thorough course of medical treatment, once in three months^ 

 to expel all their intestinal worms, with great advantage, and 

 this might, with propriety, be made obligatory by law. In 

 this case the dogs should be confined while treated and all 

 excreta should be burned. 



The frequency of this parasite is in direct proportion to the 

 extent to which the precautions are neglected in different 

 countries. In Iceland, the conditions for its rapid increase 

 and perpetuation have been favorable, and in that unfortunate 

 country. Dr. Krabbe states that there are at all times about 

 eighteen hundred patients suffering with severe forms of this 

 parasitic disease — a number equal to about one-fortieth of all 

 the inhabitants. In some districts, the proportion is said to 

 be one in every seven, and scarcely a family can be found 

 without two or more cases ! It is also stated that one-sixth 

 of all the deaths are due to diseases caused by this parasite ! 

 The number both of dogs and sheep in Iceland is very large, 

 and the dogs mingle with the natives and live with them in 

 their rude dwellings, and are used in bringing the sheep to- 

 gether, so that abuiidant opportunities occur for propagating 

 the parasite. According to Dr. Krabbe, there is one dog for 

 every three to five inhabitants in Iceland, while in Great 



