ses Dale NATURAL HISTORY: wo 
C. HA ¢Pec - XTX. ee! 
@F WORMS WITH NAKED BODIES, WITHOUT LIMBS. 
HE Guinea Worm, is fo called, becanfe it was firlt more generally 
taken notice of in that part of Africa, though it was méntion« 
ed long before, that is, by ‘Fenkinfon, in the year 1557, in his voyage 
to Boghar or Bucharia. He fays there is alittle river running through 
the mid of Boghar, whofe water is fo unwholefome, that it breeds 
worms between the fkin and flefh of the legs, of an ell long: the fur- 
geons in thofe parts take'them out with great dexterity ; for when the 
worm firft begins to fhew its head, they pull it gently out a little ways | 
that is about an inch, and roll it up; the next day it will come out as 
much farther, and fo on, till it comes quite out. But it does not kill 
the perfon when it breaks, at leaft not always, though he affirms the 
‘contrary ; for they have been often feen to break in Africa, in drawing 
them out, and yet the patients have not died. It is about the thick- 
nefs of the large ftring of a violin, and fometimes much: thicker, and 
the colour is white and fhining like filver. enkinfon adds, tha ftran= 
gers are moft peltered with thefe worms; but this is not true in Guineas 
for many negroes aré afilicted with them, while the white men gene- 
rally efcape: the manner of taking them out in that partiof!the world 
is to wait till the head appears through the fkin, after wh 
“St out a little way, making it falt to a ftick, about which they wind a - 
fmall part of it every day, till they have at length entirely brought out 
thé whole, and then thé patient is freed from pain. But if the worm 
happens to break, the negroe is put to a double tortie, for it either 
‘rots in the body, or breaks out in’ fome other place. “Some negroes _ 
have nine or ten of them at once, and they are common all over the . 
coatt of Guiney : though fome of thefe are‘an ell long, agreeable to what 
Fenkinfon affirms, yet many of them are much ‘longer, growing almoft 
to the length of two ells: this’ worm is omitted by moft of our modern 
writers; and thofe that do’ mention it, give a very erroneous account 
thereof, affirming that it 1s no thicker than a horfe hair, and of a pale 
ellowith white all over, except the head and tail, which are black and 
gloffy: the head indeed is of a pretty dark colour, but the tail is of a 
filvery white, like the reft of the body. It is pretended that doétor 
Liffer bas feen many of them alive in the body of a black Beetle ;-but 
it may be doubted whether the phyfician took it to be the Guinea Worm 
or not, for certainly he could not be guilty of fo egregious an error 5 
for if it was a native of cold climates, we fhould certainly meet with it 
in the legs of the inhabitants, efpecially in the hot feafons of the years 
- Bucharia is not indeed within the torrid zone, but the heats in that’ 
country are fometimes very exceflive. Dr Friend was the fir Engli/o- 
phylician that took notice of it in his hiftory of medicine ; but he did 
not feem to know that Yenkinfon had mentioned it before. It has alio 
‘been obferved by other travellers that have been in hot countries, and — 
therefore it is very Rrange that no better account of it has been given 
hitherto by Zagli/b writers. 
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