THE A FRICA N RHINA L M YIA SIS 1 62 5 



Calomel may be insufflated after douching. It may be necessary to 

 open the frontal or other sinuses, and to irrigate the passages. 



Prophylaxis. — The prophylaxis consists in the avoidance of 

 sleeping in the open air except under a mosquito curtain, and in the 

 prompt treatment of any case in which a fly has been known to enter 

 the nose. 



The African Rhinal Myiasis. 



Thim'ni. 



Synonym. — ^Tamne (Ahaggar Mountains). 



Definition. — Thim'ni is a facial myiasis- — ^that is to say, an ocular, 

 rhinal, and oral myiasis — found in certain parts of Algeria and the 

 Ahaggar Mountains of Central Sahara, where the human population 

 is relatively great and the numbers of sheep relatively small. It is 

 caused by the larvae of (Estrus {C ephalomyia) ovis Linuceus, 1761. 



Historical. — In 188 1 Kirschmann in Russia reported a case of 

 myiasis due to (Estrus ovis, but was disbeheved. In 1907 the 

 Sergents drew attention to the disease thim'ni, and in 1913 to tamne. 



Climatology. — It occurs in Algeria, but not everywhere, being 

 confined to certain mountainous regions where the ovine population 

 is relatively little numerous as compared with the human population, 

 and the fly is compelled to find new abodes for its larvae. These 

 regions are, La Grande KabyHe, La Petite Kabylie, and Le Dahra 

 Oriental. It also occurs in th& Ahaggar Mountains of the Central 

 Sahara. 



etiology. — (Estrus ovis (pp. 826, 827) should lay its eggs in the 

 nasal cavities of sheep, and is only driven by force of circumstances 

 to occasionally attack man. It only infests the shepherds and their 

 dogs, being, it is thought, attracted by the cheese which both eat. 

 It appears in the hottest part of the day in the warm weather, and, 

 flying swiftly, deposits its egg, while still on the wing, into the 

 nose, on to the conjunctiva or lips. The larva enters these cavities 

 and causes much pain and inflammation. 



Symptomatology. — In the nose it causes severe pain and inflam- 

 matory swelling of the whole organ. Frontal headache is intense, 

 sleep is impossible, while a serous discharge runs away from the 

 nose. In the eye vision is impossible, the eyelids and conjunctivae 

 swell, and little worms are seen on their surface. In the mouth 

 there is much inflammation of the throat, which renders swallowing 

 a difficult proceeding. 



The duration is from three to ten days, being longest in the nose. 



Prognosis. — ^This is quite good, as all cases recover. 



Treatment. — ^The essential treatment is tobacco, as smoke or as 

 injections or washes, but in the eye gentle removal is all that is 

 required. 



Other African Rhinal Myiases. 



In addition to thim'ni, rhinal myiasis in Africa is known to be 

 due to : — Lucilia hominivorax {vide Bouchet at Barika in 1895) ; 



