Screw IVorms in Human Beings. 
131 
A full account of Hemiptera-keteroptera obnoxious to man lias 
recently been compiled by Raphael Blanchard entitled, “ Sur la 
Piqure de quelques Hemipteres.” Archives de Parasitologie, V. No. 1, 
p. 139 (1902). 
Screw Worms in Human Beings. 
A note regarding the Screw Worm ( Compsomyia macellaria) in 
human beings was sent by Dr. St. George Gray. Screw Worms were 
taken from the mouth and nose of a female patient dying of phthisis 
in the Victoria Hospital. “ I am not at all sure that they are the 
larvae of Compsomyia macellaria , which is very common in some 
parts of this island and which attacks cattle, for I have never seen a 
single specimen of the adult fly in the vicinity of the hospital, but 
there are innumerable flies of other species about. I am trying to 
breed out a few of these in a jar of earth, so that I may be absolutely 
certain of the fly. I may mention one fact about them which may 
be of interest. Out of four patients who were attacked by Screw 
Worms two occupied the same bed, one after the other, and a third 
the next bed to it. The other case was in a more remote part of the 
hospital.” 
About a month after, specimens of the fly and its puparia arrived 
with the following interesting notes by Dr. St. George Gray : “ I 
notice that those bred from the larvae have a more decided bluish 
colour than those caught in the open. This may be due to the 
fact that the former had never fed. During life the eyes are of a 
brick-red colour, but this changes after death.” The larvae of 
C. macellaria have frequently been known to attack human beings, 
entering the external orifices. 
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