ON WORM IN THE EYE OF THE HORSE. 
consequently it remains in the house so long before using, that 
it is partially dried, militating, I take it, greatly against the life 
of the worm, if there should be any ; also its situation would be 
rather unpleasant when in contact with the molar teeth of the 
horse. Again, I think, worms that would be taken in with f ,od 
would not live long, or be too large to pass into the minute ab¬ 
sorbent vessels. Besides, the stomach and intestines of the 
horse appear to be the natural situation of worms. Bots are 
carried to the stomach in the shape of ovula: and why not asca- 
rides as animalculae in the water ? as I believe this to be the case. 
I do not think worm in the eye arises from situation at all, or from 
wet, &c. 
Now, gentlemen, it is only fair that I should give you my 
opinion of what I think is the cause. And, first, I must tell you, 
we have no pumps in India; consequently all supplies of water 
you receive is from immense ponds or tanks, as they are called. 
Sometimes you meet with a spot of ground where a spring is 
situated ; but nine out of ten of the tanks have no such thing, 
but are so large, that from the deluge of rain that falls from June 
to October they are filled, this serving for the year’s consumption, 
or until the rainy season commences again ; although this is not al¬ 
ways the case, for I recollect, in the hot season of the year 1831, 
all the tanks were nearly dried up. Now, the water from these 
tanks or ponds is supplied to both man and beast; and as we 
all know that water is pretty well stocked with animalculae, my 
opinion is, the worm is taken up at the time of drinking, in so 
minute a form, that it is capable of being absorbed, and passing 
into various parts of the body. I have, in the course of my anato¬ 
mical studies, found worms in almost all the passages : I recollect 
once finding an immense quantity in the trachea of an ass, and 
in the extremities of the bronchial tubes. This induced me, with 
Mr. H., who, I believe, is practising in the neighbourhood of 
Sheffield, to examine the whole length of the intestines; and on 
cutting open the caecum and colon, but more especially the 
caecum, we found what we thought small tumours ; they were 
about the size of half a pea, but on cutting them open a worm 
of the ascarides kind constituted the contents: the rectum was 
studded all over with them, some smaller, more like dust shot, 
but white. Now, we very well know, that the stomach of the 
horse cannot contain the great quantity of water he drinks at one 
time ; but that it passes rapidly on to the caecum, and there re¬ 
mains until absorbed, or the greater part of it. Therefore, I 
think this, in a great measure, elucidates how the worm may get 
into any of the vessels of the system, as great absorption is al¬ 
ways going on from the caecum. 
