306 
Proceedings of Royal Society of Edinburgh. [sess. 
XI Y. Guinea- Worm. 
(See Plate X.). 
Synon . — ^Dracunculns ; Pilaria medinensis. 
Definition . — The Guinea-worm is a nematoid parasite, usually- 
measuring from 1 to 3 feet in length, and having a breadth of 
-i- of an inch. It infests the feet and legs, as well as other parts 
of the body that are much exposed. 
Geographical Distribution . — As a general rule, the Guinea-worm 
is only found in the tropical parts of the eastern hemisphere, and 
even there the area of its endemic distribution is limited. It may, 
however, he conveyed from place to place, and, although rarely, 
become propagated in a fresh locality. In Africa, the principal 
area in which the Guinea-worm is found extends from Senegal as 
far as Cape Lopez. In Senegambia it is met with, not only on the 
coast, but in that more elevated region which extends from Bakel 
to Galam, but the parasite does not infest the banks of the Casa- 
mance. The Sierra Leone coast is less extensively infested by 
Guinea-worm than the Grain coast, Ivory coast, Gold and Slave 
coasts; it is met with on the shores of the Niger and Gaboon. It 
is to be noticed that on these coasts various places, such as Cape 
Coast Castle, Elmina, Cormantia, and Accra, are especially affected, 
whereas the surrounding country is very often free from the 
parasite. The Guinea-worm is found throughout Sennaar, the 
southern district of Kordofan, and the whole of the Bahr-el-Ghazel, 
the district between Dem Suliman and the Sobat being very 
extensively affected. It is doubtful if it exists south of latitude 
6° N., and in Abyssinia the parasite is limited to the sea coast. 
In Asia the endemic seats of the Guinea- worm are Arabia- 
Petrsea, a few points on the coast of Hedjaz and Yemen, and the 
south coast of Persia. It is said to have been met with in the Bay 
of Skanderoom, and it is known in some parts of Turkestan, in Khiva, 
Bokhara, and Kokaun, on the shores of the Sir-Daria and on the 
northern shore of the Caspian (lat. 47° N). In India the Guinea- 
worm is most widely diffused in the northern division of the west 
coast, the Bajpootana States, and the western parts of the Deccan. 
It rarely occurs in the North-West Provinces, where it is only known 
at Delira Dhun, Sirsa, and Hansi. The parasite is also rarely met 
