143 
vers parasites de l’homme (1891) ” in which the necessary references are 
given. In this same article BLANCHARD also records three new cases 
from which the parasites obtained had been submitted to him for 
examination. The material consisted of two bottles containing each 
several hundreds of Distoma sinense which had been collected at the 
post-mortems made of two Annamite soldiers in the military hospital 
of Hanoi'. A third bottle from Hanoi contained, in addition to a piece 
of liver, an extraordinary number of parasites ; so many indeed that 
the author says that without the positive affirmation given it would 
have been hard for him to believe that they had actually been derived 
from one and the same autopsy. At another place (1901, p. 581), he 
says that one might estimate the number of these worms as being 
rather above ten thousand. The statements BLANCHARD makes with 
regard to the external aspect of the parasites are so interesting that 
I reproduce them in the original language (1891, p. 5). “ Dans l'un 
des deux flacons requs de Mr. le Dr. TREILLE (i.e. those mentioned 
above in the first place), tous les Distomes sont de grande taille et 
semblables entre eux. Dans le second flacon, ainsi que dans celui que 
j’ai re<ju du Dr. LOYE (the third bottle), on remarque au contraire des 
Vers de deux sortes: les uns, d’aspect tres fonce, longs de 14 milli 
metres, larges de 3 mm. 2 ; les autres, beaucoup plus clairs et mesurant 
seulement 8 millimetres sur 2 millimetres.” 
Thus, there was again one case in which the large form was present 
alone, whereas in the other two both were represented, but so clearly 
recognisable from each other that the author immediately goes on 
saying : *' A premiere vue, on dirait qu’il s’agit de deux especes 
distinctes ...” The conclusions drawn by BLANCHARD from these 
observations will be discussed later on ; on the present occasion, 1 
wish to draw attention to the fact that the large specimens were " d un 
aspect tres fonce,” or, as I interpret it, strongly pigmented, whilst the 
smaller specimens were “ beaucoup plus clairs,” that is to say without 
pigmentation. The size of the worms recorded by BLANCHARD is 
somewhat below the average for both varieties, very probably, there 
fore, they are somewhat contracted owing to the action oi some 
stronger reagent. 
Reviewing now what has been recorded on the preceding pag< s 
we have the following facts: The original Distoma sinense of 
McConnell and COBBOLD has up to now chiefly been found in 
