INTERNAL PARASITES. (ENTOZOA.) 21'J 



the worms, every thing tending to support the system should 

 be employed in view of restoring the animal to perfect health ; 

 and lastly, as a hygienic or prophylactic measure, I would 

 advise the frequent application either of carbolic acid solu- 

 tions, or of salt and water, to the flooring of kennels. Further- 

 more, I would strongly recommend the occasional throwing 

 ^' nvn of bucketfuls of boiling hot water, since the performance 

 cf this very simple act cojild not fail to be productive of good 

 results in ways too numerous to be particularized. 



The Cruel Threadworm {Filaria immitis) inhabits the 

 heart of the dog. Dr. Cobbold observes : " If a female Filaria 

 immitis be removed from the heart of a dog, and be examined 

 with a microscope, the oviducts will be found to swarm with 

 eggs and embryos, in all stages of development." Dr. Jones 

 Lamprey, writing from Cliina, July, 1865, says : " The hearts 

 of native and foreign dogs at Shanghai are invariably found 

 to contain these entozoa," and he suggests that the animals 

 may have obtained their parasites from ova of ascarides passed 

 by man. He also remarks that human excrements constitute 

 " the principal food of the native dog," and he asserts that the 

 faeces are " not disliked by the foreign dogs, however well fed." 



Dr. Cobbold continues : " The symptoms of the disease 

 are extremely variable ; some of the dogs dying suddenly in 

 a fit, whilst others linger and betray evidences of excruciating 

 pain. As to treatment, it is obvious that nothing can be done 

 when the parasites have once got possession of so vital an 

 organ as the heart. Nevertheless, further researches may 

 enable us to suggest prophylactic measures, by which the 

 epizootic may be checked. There is one important point that 

 ought not to remain long unverified. We want to knovf for 

 certain whether the blood of these dogs contains free embry- 

 onic filarias, and whether such immature worms, if found, cor- 

 respond or not with the embryos found in the oviducts of the 

 full-grown worms. It is probable that they do, for Dr. Krabbe, 

 in his admirable rksumk already referred to, states that the 



