258 
J. PADER. 
horse. This Railliet recognized as the parasite discovered by- 
Hermann and Blisweis. Shortly after, Mr. Moussu found it in 
the perforatus and perforans tendons of a horse killed for dissec¬ 
tion. Finally, M. Comte, of the Toulouse School, found this 
filaria in the suspensory ligament of the anterior leg of a horse, 
treated for lameness of that extremity. 
It results from the bibliographical study of this parasite that 
the filariosis that it gives rise to is relatively little known, espe¬ 
cially in France, where the few rare cases in the records are 
very incomplete. The parasite itself is little known, and its 
zoological study remains to be made. 
Still, filaria reticulata is not rare in equines. Our observa¬ 
tions justify us in believing that the majority of adult individuals 
of that species are affected with it—for the region of Nimes at 
least.* And if these cases of parasitism have not been observed 
oftener, it is because attention has not been called to them. It 
must also be said that occasions for minute examinations at 
post-mortem of the suspensory ligaments occur seldom. 
We have said that this parasite has been found in the cervi¬ 
cal ligament, in the flexor tendons of the foot, and in the sus¬ 
pensory ligament Diesing has also observed it in the thickness 
of the coats of the collateral artery of the cannon and in the 
peritendinous connective tissue. 
For ourselves we have seen it in the suspensory ligament, 
the cervical ligament, seldom in the connective tissue of the 
tendons and once only, out of more than 60 observations, in the 
thickness of the perforatus tendon ; and in this case, the para¬ 
site was single and represented by a thin thread which had not 
produced any apparent lesion in the tissue. 
We cannot at present express an opinion as to the more or 
less frequency of the presence of filaria in the cervical ligament, 
as we have not looked specially in that directionf. But in the 
* Where the author is in garrison. 
f We, however, can affirm that it is quite common in the cervical ligament of horses 
killed at the abattoirs and particularly in those with thick necks. One may ask himselt 
if there is not some relation between those hanging necks and the invasion of the liga¬ 
ment by the parasites. They encyst themselves into the connective tissue of the liga- 
