Jump to content

Midland Naturalist/Volume 01/Parasites of Man

From Wikisource
Parasites of Man (1878)
by Thomas Spencer Cobbold
Midland Naturalist, Volume 1 (1878) pp. 57-59
4765873Parasites of Man — Midland Naturalist, Volume 1 (1878) pp. 57-59Thomas Spencer Cobbold

Parasites of Man.[1]


By T. Spencer Colbold, M.D., F.R.S.


I feel sure I need not apologise for bringing under the notice of workers in Science a list of the human Entozoa and Ectozoa. No complete and trustworthy record, brought down to the present time, exists. In view of rendering my list less bald than a mere catalogue of species would inevitably prove, I shall append a few particulars relating to the synonymy of each parasite, its larval condition, and the organ or tissue of the hast it usually occupies. Omitting the Protozoa, I confine my attention to the following six parasitic groups:—1. Trematoda; Flukes. 2. Cestoda; Tapeworms. 3. Nematoda; Roundworms and Threadworms. 4. Acanthocephala; Thorn-healed worms, 5. Insecta; including all such dipterous, aphanipterous, and hemipterous insects as are either wholly or partially parasitic. 6. Arachnida: including all those trachearian forms, such as the mites and their allies, which are often vulgarly and erroneously termed scab, or itch-insects. Such is the bill of fare that I have now to offer, and, should it be found presentable and useful, it is proposed to follow it up at some future time by the publication of similar lists relating to the parasites of the horse and other domesticated animals.

As I cannot have the pleasure of reading these papers personally to the Section, and as I am desirous of making them as generally interesting to the members as the subject will permit, I have requested my friend, Mr. W. R. Hughes, to communicate the papers, and to exhibit some specimens[2] on my behalf. The slides and preparations from my cabinet will be chiefly illustrative of the more remarkable forms of Entozoa enumerated in the lists.

Trematoda.

1.—Fasciola hepatica, Linnæus.

Synonymy.—Distoma hepaticum, Reizius and Ramdohr; Planaria, Gooze.
Larval state—An armed Cercaria; not yet distinguished. Free ciliated embryo conical.
Intermediate Host.—Not known. Probably a fresh water snail.
Remarks.—The common liver fluke of Ruminants has been found at least fifteen times in the human body.
Literature.—All standard works on Helminthology (Leuckart, Davaine, Kitchenmeister, Dujardin, Cobbold.)

2—Distoma lanceolatum, Mehlis.

Syn.—D. hepaticum. Zeder and Rudolphi; Dicrocælium, Dujardin and Weinland; Fasciola, Bloch; Planaria, Goeze.
Larvæ.—Carcaria, form unknown. Free ciliated embryo globular.
Int. Host.—Not known. Probably a fresh water snail.
Remarks.—Has thrice been found in man. Infests the liver.
Lit.—All standard works, especially that of Leuckart.

3.—Distona crassum, Busk.

Syn.—D. Buskii, Lankester; Dicrocetium, Weinland.
Larvæ—Unknown.
Int. Host.—Not known. Probably a species of oyster.
Remarks.—Infests the duodenum. Found at least thrice in man.
Lit.—Cobbold; Synops. of the Distomidæ in Linn. Proceed., 1860; Idem. Obs. on the lne fluke, with notes of two cases in which a missionary and his wife were the victims; Linn. Soc. Proc., Vol. XIT. (zool. div.;} and in The Veterinarian, 1876.

4.—Distoma sinense, Cobbold.

Syn.—D. spatulation, Leuckart.
Larvæ.—Unknown.
Int. Host,—Probably a fresh water mollusk.
Remarks.—Infests the liver of Chinese. Discovered by Professor McConnell.
Lit.—MeConnell; Lancet for August, 1875; Macgregor; Glasgow Medical Journal for January, 1877.

5 —Distoma conjunctum, Cobbold.

Syn.— None.
Larvæ.—Unknown.
Int. Host,—Probably & small mollusk,
Remarks.—Infests the liver. Originally found by me in an American fox (1858,) and subsequently by Lewis in pariah dogs (1872,) and afterwards by McConnell in man (1875.)
Lit.—Cobbold ; Synopsis (l.c.) 1859; Lewis; Govt. Rep., Calcutta, 1872; McConnell; Lancet, Feb., 1876.

6.—Distome heterophyes, Siebold.

Syn.—Fasciola, Moquin-Tandon; Dierocælium, Weinland.
Larvæ.— Unknown.
Int. Host.— Unknown.
Remarks.—Infests the intestine. Only once found. Discovered by Bilharz, at Cairo, 1851.
Lit.—All standard works, more particularly that of Leuckart.

7.—Distoma ophthalmobium, Diesing.

Syn.—D. oculi kumani, Gescheidt; D. lentis, Von Ammon; Dicroeælium, Weinland; Monostoma, Nordmann; Festucaria, Moquin-Tandon.
Remarks.—Several times found in the eye, but as all the specimens were sexually immature, the species, as such, is of doubtful authenticity.
Lit.—All standard works.

8.—Tetrastomea renale, Delle-Chiaje.

Syn.—None.
Remarks.—Supposed to infest the kidney. Discovered by Lucarelli in 1826.
Lit.—Delle-Chiaje, Elmintografia, Umann, 1833.

9.—Hexathyridium pinguieola, Trentler.

Syn.—Hexastoma, Cuvier; Linguatula, Lamarek; Polystoma, Zeder.
Remarks.—Only once detected. It was lodged in a small tumour of the size of a nut.
Lit.—Trentler; Obs. path, anat. ad helm, corp. huamani, 1793.

10.—Hezathyridium venarum, Treutler.

Syn.—To the genera given above, add Hexacotyle, Plainville.
Remarks.—Said to have been found on four occasions; by Treutler once, by Delle-Chiaje twice, and once by Pollins. Infests the blood.
Lit.—As above; and in general treatises.

11.—Amphistoma hominis, Lewis and McConnell.

Syn.—None.
Larvæ.— Unknown.
Remarks.—Infests the intestine. Twice found; in the first instance by Dr. O'Brien, of Gowatty, and Dr. Curran together.
Lit.—Tewis and MeConnell; in Preceed. of the Asiatic Soc. of Bengal, 1876.

12.—Bilharzia kemetobia, Cobbold.

Syn.—Distome kemetubtum. Bilhara; Gyniecuphores, Diesing Theessoma, Moquin-Tandon; Sekistosume, Weinland.
Larvæ—Cercaria unknown. Free ciliated embryo cone-shaped.
Remarks.—Infests the veins, especially the portal system of blood vessels. Frequent in Africa.
Lit.—In standard works; the details being chiefly from Bilharz, Griesinger, Harley, and Cobbold. See also Sonsino; Sugliematozol come contribute alla Fanna entoz egiziana; Cairo, 1877; and in Arch. Gen. de Méd., for June, 1876.

This work was published before January 1, 1930, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.

Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse

  1. Read before the Microscopical Section of the Birmingham Natural History and Microscopical Society, February 19th, 1878.
  2. The specimens exhibited were, the common fluke, (F. hepatica,) the lancet-shaped fluke, (D. lanceolatum,) the large human fluke, (D. crassum,) the Chinese or McConnnell's fluke, (D. sinense,) the conjoined fluke, (D. conjanactum,) the minute Egyptian fluke, (D. heterophyes) and Bilharz's fluke (B. hæmulobia.)