Volume XJ L 
MARCH, 1920 
No. 2 
INTESTINAL HELMINTHS IN INDIANS IN 
MESOPOTAMIA. 
By CHARLES L. BOULENGER, M.A., D.Sc. 
(Reader in Helminthology, University of Birmingham.) 
Whilst engaged on protozoological investigations of dysentery and allied 
diseases in Mesopotamia I had the opportunity of examining the stools of a 
large number of hospital patients, both British and Indian, and of noting the 
presence of worm ova as well as protozoan parasites. 
The British patients proved to be almost entirely free from helminth 
infection; on the other hand, as was to be expected, such parasites were of 
frequent occurrence in the Indians and the object of this note is to give a 
biief account of the incidence of the different forms met with. 
The stool examinations were made primarily for protozoan parasites, the 
samples were not sedimented or centrifuged and at the most two smears were 
examined for each case. According to Clayton Lane (1916), to establish the 
absence of worm infection at least fifteen smears must be examined from each 
faecal sample; it is obvious therefore that the percentages obtained by me 
for the different worms are too low, probably about half those which would 
have been found had the proper helminthological technique been employed. 
The figures are however, in my opinion, worth publication, since very few 
data of this kind are available, moreover they afford me an opportunity of 
calling particular attention to certain worms observed. 
The total number of individuals examined was 1180, these consisted 
chiefly of dysentery cases and patients convalescent from that disease, a 
number suffering from other complaints (e.g. anaemia) are however included 
as well as 200 healthy men, selected as “controls” in various investigations.’ 
The findings are shown in the following table: 
IVumber of individuals examined 
Taenia saginata 
Hymenolepis nana 
Ascaris lumbricoides ... 
Oxyvrls vermicular is ... 
Agchylostoma duodena le | 
Necator amet icanus \ 
T rich Ob 1 rongylus sp. ... 
Slrongyloidcs stercoraii.s 
Trichurin trichiums ... 
Parasitology xn 
... 1180 
14— 1-2 o/ 
23 = „ 
02= 5-2 „ 
1 = 0 08 „ 
219=18-5 „ 
14= 1-2 „ 
0 = 0-5 „ 
59= 5 .. 
