NIDUS OF THE FILARIA BRONCHIALIS. 
709 
and others are nearly black, resembling small shot. The 
larger ones are mostly irregular in outline, opaque, and of a 
dirty yellowish colour. Consistence varying, sometimes 
soft, sometimes almost cartilaginous, and occasionally hard 
and chalky. Pulmonary tissue between these bodies per- 
fectly permeable to air. All these bodies contain the brood 
of a species of entozoon ( Strongylus Filaria) in different 
stages of development. The large irregular bodies contain 
the old female worm and countless ova, and young worms 
in their earliest stage, mixed up with great quantities of cells 
resembling pus-corpuscles, compound granular cells, granu- 
lar matter, &c. ; while the small roundish bodies form a 
pseudo-cyst, and contain, coiled up in the same kind of exu- 
dation matter, one young worm attaining to maturity. The 
size of these solitary young worms greatly varies ; the smallest 
are found in the semi-transparent bodies, and the largest, being 
nearly full grown, and having their genital organs developed, 
are found -in the dark cysts. The exudation matter in the 
cysts seems to form the food of the young worm. 
Dr. Ranke stated that he was not aware that any descrip- 
tion of this development of the Strongylus existed, although 
the worm in its adult state, when it is found in the bronchi 
and trachea of the lungs of sheep, goats, calves, &c., has 
been long known. Mr. Simonds, Professor of Cattle Patho- 
logy at the Veterinary College, Camden Town, with whom 
Dr. Ranke had communicated on the subject, had, however, 
informed him that he himself had some time ago observed 
the ova and young worms in the larger patches. The disease 
seems to be just now exceedingly common; of eighteen 
lungs which Dr. Ranke examined, there were only two or 
three in a healthy state. As regards the effect of lungs so 
diseased being used for food, Dr. Ranke had made one expe- 
riment on a cat, but with a negative result. The animal was 
exclusively fed on such lungs for a fortnight, and then killed. 
It had shown no sign of disease during life, nor were any 
traces of the worms to be discovered either in the intestinal 
canal, or in any other organ. In the meat of sheep affected 
with the above- described disorder of the lungs, Dr. Ranke 
failed to discover the entozoon. Dr. Ranke afterwards showed 
some drawings and microscopic specimens of the worm in 
its different stages. 
Mr. Spencer Wells read a note from Professor Simonds, to 
the effect that he had often met with the same disease in the 
lungs of animals. In the lungs of lambs it was very common 
to meet with nests of the ova and young of the Filaria Iron - 
chialis . 
XXX. 
94 
