552 



Parasites from the Zoological Gardens. 



m 



is applicable to a somewhat remarkable entozoon which we 

 found on the 4th of December, 1857, in the portal blood of the 

 sooty monkey. It is particularly interesting from the circum- 

 stance that it is the second species only of a peculiar and re- 

 cently established genus of flukes, the original type of which 

 was discovered by that indefatigable naturalist, Dr. Bilharz of 

 Cairo. Up to the time of Bilharz's announcement of the exist- 

 ence of the Distoma hcematobium, so abundantly found by him 

 in the people of Egypt, almost all the flukes were considered 

 to be hermaphroditic, or, in other words, each 

 individual was provided both with male and 

 female organs ; the only exception being that 

 of the Distoma Jilicolle, regarded by Rudolphi 

 and Dujardin as a species of Monostoma. So 

 common and numerous is the Distoma haema- 

 tobium in Egypt, that in 363 examinations of 

 the human body after death Griesinger found 

 this entozoon present no less than 117 times, 

 and it is quite certain that it gives rise to a 

 very formidable disease. In consequence of 

 the reproductive peculiarity just mentioned, 

 associated as it is with the existence of a re- 

 markable ventral groove in the male, the writer, 

 a short while ago, formed a distinct genus for 

 the reception of the Egyptian fluke, substitut- 

 ing the name of the original discoverer of the 

 species for the generic title of Distoma. Since 

 this was done he has observed that several 

 foreign parasitologists have been led to act in a 

 similar manner, and, as usually happens in 

 such cases, they have adopted different generic 

 titles, so that we are in danger of complicating 

 the nomenclature, and exposing ourselves to 

 the ready criticism of those who love simplicity. 

 Thus Professor Leuckart of Giessen, says we 

 must yield priority to Diesing of Vienna, who, 

 (upptrSro-TS). in 1858 ' Proposed the generic term Gynfeco- 

 phorus, in reference to the so-called gyna> 

 cophoric canal of the male above-mentioned. Dr. Weiuland 

 of Frankfort subsequently formed his genus Schistosoma for 

 similar reasons. Without, however, further dwelling on this 

 question as to its proper name, we shall here employ the one 

 first proposed by ourselves, directing special attention to the 

 fact that tho genus, in itself so peculiar, is only yet known to 

 infest men and monkeys, and in these hosts the two species 

 appear to be confined to Egyptians and the sooty monkey. 

 Here is an interesting little circumstance, admirably suited to 



