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SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
small round bodies within the plasma of the cancer cells be thinks are 
certainly parasites and most probably coccidia. The author also men- 
tions having seen similar appearances in preparations by Foa and also 
by Malassez and his pupils. 
The author points out that inoculation experiments with coccidia 
must necessarily be difficult, as each kind of animal is infested with a 
definite species of the parasite and hence the successful transference of 
any given coccidium to an animal cannot be regarded very hopefully. 
On the other hand the similarity between carcinoma and psorospermosis 
of rabbits suggests the notion that the transference of the disease 
would be less successful with fresh material than with such as had re- 
mained for a shorter or longer period outside the body. The psorosper- 
mosis of rabbits is spread not by direct contagion, but by means of 
spores which after the death of the animal are formed in the surrounding 
medium in a manner akin to that of a “ miasm.” 
Parasitic Sporozoa of Cancer.* — Dr. G. Sawtschenko describes a 
parasite similar to that found by Sjobring in a case of cancer. 
Owing to the fact that the parasite was observed in great numbers, 
especially in certain parts of the cancer, the author was able to 
link together various forms which may be taken to represent different 
stages in the developmental cycle. The tumour, from a case of cancer of 
the lip with metastatic deposits in the lymphatic glands, was treated 
with Flemming’s fluid and stained with safranin and picric acid, or with 
gentian-violet and eosin. The parasite is clearly represented in a 
series of 19 figures showing its position within the epithelioid cells and 
its relation to the nucleus. Most often the parasite is seen as a collection 
of spheroidal vacuoles of variable size. These vacuolar forms appear to 
have a double contour, and some central granules. In less frequent cases 
the double contour is more distinct and the parasite is larger. It is in 
this stage that it may contain numbers of the smaller forms (sporophore 
and sporocyst) or coiled up or spindle-shaped germs. Some of the 
illustrations depict an epithelial cell with a vacuole, the latter containing 
the shrivelled up remains of its former tenant or a distinctly spheroidal 
nucleated granular body, having much resemblance to an ordinary epi- 
thelial cell. It is quite unnecessary to enter into the author’s specula- 
tions, for which the original may be consulted, but the illustrations given 
have the great merit of showing quite distinctly the appearances observed. 
Psorosperms (Sarcosporidia) in Human Heart Muscle.j — The oc- 
currence of Sarcosporidia in man has been denied by most observers. 
Hence the discovery, by Dr. Kosenberg, of Miescher’s corpuscles in 
human heart muscle has special interest. The patient was a woman of 
about forty years of age, who died of pleurisy and endocarditis verrucosa. 
In the heart was found a cyst 5 mm. long and 2 mm. broad, and this was 
at first supposed to be an echinococcus bladder. Neither scolex nor 
hooks was found. On teasing out a portion of the cyst it was found to 
contain numerous corpuscles, which were highly refractile and structure- 
less, resembling in these respects the bodies in molluscum contagiosum. 
* Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., xii. (1892) pp. 17-28, 1 pi. (19 figs.). 
t Zeitschr. f. Hygiene, xi. No. 3. See Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., xi. 
(1892) p. 739 
