506 PREVENTION OF VEEMICEOUS DISEASES. 



The destruction of all parts containing the cysts or water-bags 

 should be carefully carried out, instead of throwing the same to 

 dogs, or being used oven as human food. 



The ova and embryos that form the hydatid stages or cy.sts are 

 obtained in a great number of cases from polluted drinking-water. 

 The eggs passed out with the sexual tapeworm, and thus out of the 

 host, are often left upon the ground, and get carried by rain to 

 runnels, ditches, dykes, and rivers. Yet many are taken off the 

 ground direct by herbivorous animals. Sometimes whole proglottides 

 voided out in the dung are eaten, and then the animal is invaded, 

 if it be the proper host, with hundreds of small cysts, as seen in 

 Gysticercus cellulosce in pigs. We must bear in mind that we cannot 

 get rid of these cysts when once they have taken up their rendezvous 

 in the organs, except in the isolated case of IfvUiplej; multiplex, 

 which may sometimes, if a single cyst only exists, be extracted from 

 the sheep's brain by trephining. It is therefore very essential to 

 prevent the ova of cestodes from entering an animal. To do this 

 we must endeavour to keep our stock free from these worms (and 

 other parasites). When they are noticed by such symptoms as 

 thinness, capricious appetite, irritation in the lumbar regions, and 

 the presence of proglottides in the excreta, the patient should be 

 shut up, well dosed, and all excrement, with the expelled proglot- 

 tides and scolices, burnt. We must bear in mind that as long as the 

 seolex remains the cestode can continue to grow, thus necessitating 

 the certain expulsion of this budding area. 



In regard to ta3nicides, great numbers of substances have been 

 experimented with, and many are more or less successfvd. Before 

 dosing, the patient should be given no solid food for at least twelve 

 hours previously, but a small quantity of soft food only. A mild 

 dose of castor-oil should also be given beforehand. The most certain 

 drugs are areca-nut, male fern, calomel, pomegranate bark, and 

 sulphuret of calcium. Perhaps the best is a mixture of areca-nut 

 and male shield-fern powders in the proportion of i grains of areca- 

 nut to every pound-weight of the dog, with 15 minims (drops) of 

 male shield-fern extract. This tajnifuge should be given in sweet 

 milk, and is best followed next morning with a mild dose of castor- 

 oil. As a rule, two doses of the powders are necessary. Jithereal 

 extracts of male shield-fern in 2-grain to 6-grain doses also brings 

 away the worms. Similar drugs may be used for poultry in vary- 

 ing doses. But for sheep, kamala in 10-graiu doses has met 

 with most sviccess. In poultry I ha.\-o obtained excellent results 



