248 



Note on a New Linguatula. 

 By E. A. Johnson, M.D., M.R.C.S. 



[Read September 6, 1910.] 



Plate XL VI. 



Linguatula dingophila, n. sp. 



In 1904 I made a post-mortem on a pure country dingo, 

 in order to see if the Tcenia echinococcus was present. How- 

 ever, in this I was disappointed, but found a Linguatula in 

 the nasal cavities. 



This on the most cursory examination was, in my opinion, 

 new to science, and on searching all available literature has 

 justified my describing it as such, and accordingly naming it. 



The Linguatula rhinaria, first described by Pilger, 1802, 

 is a parasite which, under various names, is an inhabitant 

 of the nasal cavities occasionally of the dog. 



It is a parasite very rarely met with, even by the keen 

 haelminthologist, and never, unless by accident, does the 

 general medical practitioner see it. I have not seen it in a 

 museum. 



In the larval stage, e.g., as Pentastoma denticulatum, 

 one meets it in lands where uncooked meat is eaten, as in 

 Germany. 



One sees it encysted in the liver; usually one or two 

 specimens are present. It occurs far more rarely in the 

 spleen, kidney, or intestinal wall. 



Tenker found it in 9 out of 168 autopsies. 



Frerichs (Breslau), 5 out of 47 autopsies. 



In Switzerland it is much rarer. Klebs saw only one 

 case in 900 autopsies. 



In Kronstadt (Russia), 6 cases in 659 autopsies. 



Given an infected dog, the means by which the Linguatula 

 is spread are as follows: — 



The ova (already containing an embryo) are expelled 

 with the nasal secretion in great numbers. Those which fall 

 on grass are swallowed by the various herbivora in their 

 food, viz., usually rabbits and hares; less commonly sheep, 



