NOTES ON DISTOMA ENDEMICUM. 49 



gentleman kindly supplied- me with a number of Distomes from two 

 sources. Those from human-liver could easily be identified as Dist. 

 endemicum Baelz, while those from the liver of cat showed slight 

 differences inasmuch as they possessed very fine spines in the skin 

 (= cuticula) and were of smaller size than the former. Perhaps this 

 cat-distome from Okayama is to be considered as a distinct species, 

 but I firmly believe that in Tokyo, Dist. endemicum does sometimes 

 inhabit the liver of cats. During December of last year I have had 

 occasion to dissect three cats. In one of them, I found the gall- 

 bladder and hepatic ducts unusually enlarged. They were almost filled 

 up with Distomes, which agreed in every respect Avith Distoma endemi- 

 cam from Okayama. I counted over 600 of them. In the second cat, 

 the gall-bladder and hepatic ducts were of normal appearance and 

 only a single specimen of Distoma was found within. It is probable 

 that some more were left undiscovered. The third cat did not seem to 

 be at all infested. 



It thus stands beyond doubt that Dist. endemicum infests not 

 only the human-liver but also cats. This fact affords a great conve- 

 nience in experimentally ascertaining its life-history, since the mode 

 of infection must be the same in both cases. Again, it is clear that 

 conditions requisite for the development of Distoma endemicum do also 

 exist in Tokyo, the cats examined having been reared up in this city 

 or in its environs. But as yet no one has ascertained the occurrence 

 of our Distoma in the inhabitants of Tokyo. Notwithstanding, the 

 possibility or even the probability of its occurrence is not to be denied. 

 Perhaps it may be that the parasitic worm owing to some local cir- 

 cumstances, does not become introducsd into the human-body in a 

 number enough to cause any calamitous influences, and thus passes 

 unnoticed. Baelz also assumes the occurrence of human liver-distome 

 eleswhere than in Okayama-Ken, since he met with cases in Tokyo, 



