TEXAS NATURE OBSERVATIONS AND REMINISCENCES. 41 



ease and have found nothing in 

 our medical literature which at all 

 resembles it. I have carefully 

 watched him, so that he could not 

 deceive me nor anyone else. Be- 

 sides, he is too anxious to get well 

 for a malingerer." 



The doctor and also his patient 

 have forwarded samples of the 

 material gathered from the sick 

 man' s body for me to examine mi- 

 croscopically. After proper mount- 

 ing (in glycerine and dilute acetic 

 acid also, in Canada balsam) the 

 main ingredients seemed to be in- 



dressed a letter to Dr. Fleming, 

 and received the following an- 

 swer: 



"I assure you that every par- 

 ticle of the samples I sent you 

 came from his body. He never 

 has taken a sand bath ; he always 

 washes himself in hot water, as 

 it gives him more relief. I have 

 watched him closely for six 

 months and have tried every 

 known remedy without success. 

 The particles of sand-like material 

 or shells, or whatever it is, all 

 come from him, and are not put 



•W* ' 



1. The Ctjteneous Parasite, Highly Magnified. 



2. Larval State of This Parasite. 



3. Dots 4n Circle Showing Normal Size of the Parasite. 



4 Geoeral Appearance of Cutaneous Material Sent for Microscopic Examination 



organic and of a calcareous nature 

 (giving off carbonic acid- on ap- 

 plying acetic or nitric acid) and 

 a major portion showed remnants 

 of cuticular tissue and detritus, 

 a number of oval bodies, which, 

 on 'iressure under the cover glass, 

 produced a crackling noise. In a 

 number of these slides I noticed 

 several peculiar microscopic mites, 

 and in few instances larvae and 

 casts of these parasites. Being 

 somewhat suspicious, I again ad- 



on him by washing or any appli- 

 catidti. When I use vinegar on 

 him there will come out on his 

 body more sand or shells, and in 

 the morning his body contains 

 more than in the daytime, keeping 

 him awake through the night. I 

 have scraped regular barnacles 

 formed by the insects at night 

 from between his toes and creases 

 of the arms and elbows, ' ' etc. 



After these statements I gave 

 the matter closer attention, espe- 



