J. R. Garrood 
317 
Mode of entry. 
The most obvious mode of entry of the larvae or eggs is with the 
food, and from the observed habits of these insects, vegetable food in 
an uncooked, or insufficiently cooked condition is probably the vehicle 
for the introduction of either the actual larvae or of eggs which are 
about to be hatched. In most cases no doubt these larvae or eggs 
would be killed by the digestive juices, but not always, for Hutton 
(1901) states that dipterous larvae have been immersed in water for 
days without killing them and have lived for from twelve to seventy- 
two hours in the stomachs of the frog and guinea-pig—long enough in 
the case of a human host to pass on to the more favourable locality of 
the large intestine. 
Hewitt (1909) says that the eggs of H. canicularis may be deposited 
on the lips or nostrils of children and passing into the stomach and 
intestines give rise to intestinal myiasis and diarrhoea. 
He also states that the larvae may enter the rectum when the 
patient uses the old style of privy, being presumably splashed up from 
below. 
Hewitt (1907) states that the anthomyidae lay their eggs in the 
contents of privies as well as elsewhere. 
Error in diagnosis. 
The occurrence of the larvae in human faeces under the above 
conditions may give rise to error but I believe this source to be 
excluded in my case, both by the history as given by the boy and his 
mother and by the fact that an earth closet was used which would 
render the mistake less likely. 
Description of larvae from my case. 
The larvae as brought to me are brown, oval, flattened creatures 
surrounded by sharp processes bearing spines or lateral branches. 
There are six rows of these processes, two on either side and two down 
the back near the mid-dorsal line, the latter have no lateral branches. 
The anterior end of the larva is smaller than the posterior but there 
is no head, a longitudinal skeletal structure shows through the cuticle 
of the anterior end as two dark bars and two bristle-like processes 
project forwards from the front of the first segment. 
