FKAZER — ON BOTHRIOCEPHALT/S LATTJS. 127 



considered of indigenous origin : the history of the sixth case is unre- 

 corded. The example which fell under my own observation, in April 

 last, was obtained from a gentleman long resident in Dublin ; originally 

 a native of Russian Poland, he may have acquired his parasite when 

 resident in the marshy districts of that land, or have become its host 

 whilst travelling afterwards through Central Germany and the Baltic 

 provinces, previous to settling here. Strange to state, until the joints 

 were expelled which he brought me, he never entertained the slightest 

 suspicion of harbouring worms. There is a valuable paper of Dr. Cob- 

 bold's published in the " Journal of the Linnsean Society" for Novem- 

 ber, 1867, which treats of the Entozoa that infest the dog. When 

 describing the Bothriocephali, he states the difficulty that exists in de- 

 termining the exact number of species that animal may harbour. Still 

 it is admitted that B. latus does occur both in man and in the dog : as 

 proof of this fact, " one such cestoid may be seen in the Museum of the 

 Eoyal Veterinary College, and no doubt can be entertained that it be- 

 longs to this species." Unfortunately, there is no clue given of the pre- 

 vious history of the animal : probably, like most human beings, it got 

 the worm as a result of visiting the Continent. To complete the subject 

 of the geographical distribution of this Entozoon, it should be stated 

 that it is unknown across the Atlantic, save when imported into Ame- 

 rica fromfEurope. Thus Weinland asserts : " We have seen two speci- 

 mens of the worm in this country [America] : the first was expelled from 

 a Swiss, soon after his arrival; the second was from an Englishman, in 

 Eichmond, Virginia, who had perhaps travelled in Switzerland, and, like 

 the German anatomist and physiologist, Soemmering, and many other 

 travellers, brought away with him this vade-mecum from the land of 

 William Tell. We have not yet seen a specimen which came from an 

 American ; nor has Professor Leidy, of Philadelphia, as he informs us 

 by letter."* 



The life history and mode of propagation of this Entozoon, before 

 it finds entrance into the human being, will require additional research 

 to elucidate its mysteries. Too many of the statements on this subject 

 are repetitions of clever guesswork and surmises. Dr. Knoch, of St. 

 Petersburgh, believed he had succeeded in rearing this worm in dogs 

 by the direct experiment of feeding them with its embryos ; but more 

 careful experiments by Leuckart establish clearly the necessity of some 

 " intermediary bearer," as is now well known to happen with our or- 

 dinary Tapeworms.f Carl Vogt considered it was propagated by using 

 sewage waters that contained its ova. This is less probable than the 

 theory widely circulated, and having many corroborative facts to allege 

 in its support — namely, that it has been transmitted through the 

 agency of fish used for human food. Dr. Huss, who adopts this opi- 

 nion, would ascribe it to the use of salmon : so far as Ireland is con- 



* " Essay on the Tapeworms of Man," p. 59. 



f See Dr. Cobbold's paper in the "Journal of the Linna3an f Society." 



