CHAPTER LXVIII 



POROCEPHALOSIS 



Synonym — Definition — History — Climatology — ^Etiology — Pathology — 

 Morbid anatomy — Symptomatology — Diagnosis — Prognosis — Treat- 

 ment — Prophylaxis — References. 



Synonym. — Porocephaliasis. 



Definition. — Porocephalosis is the invasion of the body by the 

 larvse oiPoroccphalus armillatus Wyman, 1848, and P. moniliformis 

 Diesing, 1836, and possibly other forms, which become encysted in 

 the liver and lungs, and ultimately develop into nymphae, which 

 may, by their wanderings, cause inflammation of organs and serous 

 membranes. 



History.— P. armillatus was first found in man by Pruner in 1846, 

 and has since been studied by Bilharz, Fenger, Aitken, Giard, 

 Broden and Rodhain, Dutton and Todd, and one of us. P. monili- 

 formis has been met with in Asia, and by Salm in Java. Sambon 



thinks that Welch's Indian para- 

 site may have been P. najcB 

 Leuckart, i860, or P. crocidurcB 

 Parona, 1890, found in Blyth's 

 musk shrew Crocidura fuliginosa: 

 and that Flint's case in America 

 may have been an infection with 

 P. crotali Humboldt, 1808, but 

 for details with regard to these 

 parasites, see pp. 734 and 736. 



Climatology. — Porocephalus 

 armdllatus is confined to Africa, 

 being met with in negroes resi- 

 dent, or who have resided, 

 therein. It has been reported from Egypt and various parts of 

 the West Coast of Africa, but especially from the Congo. 



With regard to P. moniliformis, it occurs in Java and the Philip- 

 pine Islands. Welch described a pecuhar parasite as occurring in 

 the mucosa of the intestine of a man in India which he considered 

 to be an Echinorhynchus , but which, judging from the drawing, 

 might well be Porocephalus. 



^flEtiology.- — The adults of both P. armillahis and P. moniliformis 

 live in the nasal cavities and lungs of pythons and snakes, and 

 though the life-history is as yet unknown, it is quite possible that 



1642 



TERZI - . 



Fig. 726. — Porocephalus armillatus 



ENCYSTED IN LiVER. 



(After Sambon, from our West 

 African case.) 



