A S C 



A S C 



fift of cuticle, ctitl^, and one fct of annular mufclcs ; there 

 do not appear to be any longitudinal lines on its external 

 furface. The cavitj', containing the vifceva, begins at a 

 very fmall ditlance from the head, and terminates where the 

 tail conimeneej, at which place is a very fmall opening, or the 

 anns. Tlie only vifcera in the male worm are ocfophagiis, 

 ilomaeli, and intellincs : the cefophagus begins.at the mouth, 

 gradually enlarges for a fmall Ipace, and terminates in the 

 liomach ; the Itoraach is a round bag, fo that oefophagus 

 snd ftomach together refemble a glafs pe'.lle which, accord- 

 incr to Gocze, conftitutes a diftinguiiliing Ipecific characler. 

 The ilomueh cracuates its contents into the intellinal canal, 

 which continues through the worm more or lefs contracted 

 and dilated to the anus : the contents of the ftomach and 

 inttftines is always of a brown colour. The female has, 

 befides thefe vifcera, an apparatus fubfervient to generation, 

 which begins by a {lender tube leading from the fmall 

 puniliform opening fituated nearly in the body of the 

 worm ; it fooH becomes much larger, embraces the intellinal 

 tube in every direction, and fills up the cavity of the worm. 

 This gyrated apparatus is not bifurcated as in the afcaris 

 lurabricoides, nor has it the fame filiform appendages; its end 

 or fundus is as large as any other part ; it appears under a 

 high magnifier like a bladder dillended with worms, for its 

 young are feen diltinClly moving about from one end to 

 the other. 



Symptoms of IVnrms. When th:fe worms exift in any 

 number, tlijy produce more or lefs emaciation, palencfs of 

 the countenance, witli fometimes flufhing of the face, a 

 hlueilh circle about the eyes, itcliing of the nofe, . tetude 

 with ftarting a:id talking during (lecp, thirll in the morning, 

 naufea and difguft for food, though more frequently great 

 appetite, foetid breath, pl;;ching, griping, and tendernefs 

 in the belly, efpccially about the navel ; bellvj-frequcntly 

 much enlarged, flatulency, coftivencfs fometimes, at other 

 times purging, weaknefs, languor, epileptic fits, and more 



Tlierc is hardly a purgative, efpecially amo.ig the draftic 

 ones, which has jiot been employed for this purpofc. Thefe 

 fl'.ould be ufed with eveiy precaution ; and are hardly ever 

 necefTary for the expulnon of theafcarides. The lumbricoides 

 is not very tenacious of life, and is eafily deftroyed and eva- 

 cuated by means of calomel, with fcammony or jalap, and 

 other milder purgatives, in moderate dofes, adapted to the 

 flrength of the patient. The purgative Ihould be feveral 

 times repeated, at iliort inter.als, in order to remove fuch 

 worms and ova as liave been fcrccr.cd by the folds of the in- 

 tellines, or in the mucus, from the aftion of the prectding 

 dofe. The fame means are employed to remove the af- 

 caris vermicularis, but not with the fame fucccfs. Thiy ii 

 much more tenacious of life, and as it is generally feated fo 

 far from the ftomach, medicines adminiftered by the mouth 

 have little other effect upon it thar. as they evacuate the 

 contents of the reftum in common with the other vifcera ; 

 but adminiftered by glyfter, the relief they afford is verv con- 

 liderable, though not in all cafes certain. A fmall quantity 

 of alocs, diflolved in fome mucilaginous fluid, and employed 

 as a glyfter, is very powerful in this way, alTifted at the fame 

 time by medicine, to evacuate them from above. There are 

 cafes where no effectual remedy has been found to remove thefe 

 troublefome vemiin. We fhall below tranfcribe the accui'ate 

 hifto!-y of a cafe of thefe worms, given by the kte Dr. Heber- 

 den in the firll volume of the Medical Trar.factions, which 

 will greatly illuftrate this part of our fubjeCt. 



Tlie fecond indication of cure, the removal of that weak 

 and morbid ftateot the inteftines which proves favourable to 

 the generation ot the afcaris, is by no means the leaft ; and 

 it is on this principle perhaps only that bitters have been 

 ranked with worm medicines : it is hardly probable that in- 

 fct^s always bred in bitternefs, and which have been found 

 in the ductus communis choledochus, and even gall bladder, 

 fhould be poifoned by bitters. Bitters, anitpnics, as pre» 

 parations of fteel and other mineral and vegetable tonics. 



or lefs fymptomatic fever, pulfe weak and *"ometimes inter- will be found nearly as ufeful as the medicines which fimply 



mitting. Thefe fymptoms arife more from the lumbricoides 

 than the vermicularis ; but where the latter are numerous, 

 they will occafion nearly as violent fymptoms ; otherwife 

 they are more knov/n by their effects in and about the rec- 

 tum and its neighbourhood, producing Itching there more 

 or lefs i itolerable, with tenefmus, and even fluor albus. 

 There are a number of other fymptoms brought on by 

 the cxiftence of worms; thefe, however, are the principal 

 and moft decifive ; but the beft and moft fatisfactory evidence 

 is their being feen in the evacuations. 



Cure. The indications for the cure of a'.carides are of 



expel them. The confideration of other reraedies employed 

 in the removal of worms, we muft refer to the article 



T-tNIA. 



Dr. Heberden tells us, that being acquair.ted with an ex- 

 perienced a-'id intelligent phyi'ician, who had from hisinfar.cy 

 been troubled with afcai'ides, he defiied to be informed Ly 

 him what were the inconveniences which they had occa- 

 Coned, and what was the fuccefs of the remedies which he 

 had ufed: to which he replied, that according to his expe- 

 rience the peculiar fymptoms of this Ipecies ot worms are, a 

 great unealinefs in the reitum, and an almoft "intolerable 



two kinds , firft, the expulfion of them, their young, their itching of the anus. Thefe fenfations ufuallv come on in 



ova, and the mucus containing them, from the bowels : 

 and fecond, the correction of that weak ftate of the bowels, 

 er other morbid difpofitions of them, whatever they may be, 

 which favour the produclioa of them, and that ir.ucus which 

 becomes a nidus for their propagation. For although tiie 

 only place in nature where thele two fpecies of infefts are 

 known to be generated, is the human inteftines, during life, 

 and therefore it might be reafonable to fuppofe, they mighf 

 cxift in them (not in great numbers) in a ftate of health, 

 yet they are generally found in them when at leaft in a ftate 

 of lefs vigour, as in infancy and age, or when weakened by 

 any foreign means, among the caufes of which (it may be 

 proper to mention here) the drallic purgatives, cmp!o3'cd to 

 get rid of them. Thefe frequently weaken fo much that 

 the patient rather fiibmits to the inconvenience of them, 

 efpecially the afcaris vermicularis, than to the pernicious ef- 

 fects of vermifuges ujjon the digeftive organs. 

 2 



an evening, and prevent deep for feveral hcurs; they are at- 

 tended with a heat, which is fometimes fo confiderable as to 

 p;;oduce a fwclling in the reCtuni, both internally and exter- 

 nally ; and if thefe fymptoms be not foon rehevcd, a tenef- 

 mus is brought on with a mucus dejecljon. Sometimes there 

 is a griping pain in the lower part of the abdomen, a little 

 above the os pubis. If this pain be very fevere, there fol- 

 lows a bloody mucus, in which there are often found afcarides 

 alive. _They were fometimes fufpeded of occafioniag dif- 

 turbed lleep, and fome degree of head-ache. Purging and 

 irritating clyfters were injected with very little fucccfs. Cue 

 drachm and a half of tobacco was infuied in fix ounces of 

 boiling water, and the ftrained liquor being given as a 

 clyfter occafioned a violent pain in the lower part of 

 the abdomen, with faiiitnefs and a cold fweat. This iii- 

 jeclion, though retained only one minute, acted as a fraart 

 purge, but did little or no good. Lime water was alfo ufed 



