Filariasis and elephantiasis in Fiji ; being a report to the London School of Tropical Medicine.

  • Manson-Bahr, Philip Heinrich, Sir, 1881-
Date:
1912
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Filariasis and elephantiasis in Fiji ; being a report to the London School of Tropical Medicine. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    11. Fijian, aet. 25. A mass of irreducible pedunculated groin glands on the left side, size of a duck's egg. Oblique set of inguinal glands enlarged on both sides, hard and shotty. No obvious enlargement of pelvic glands noted. There was an abscess scar in the left groin, situated' over the mass. Testes were normal. No microfilariae in the blood. The pedunculated mass was removed at operation and found extending as a solid cord, the thickness of the index finger, underneath Poupart's ligament into the abdomen and down into Hunter's canal. A mass of matted lymphatic vessels surrounded the enlarged gland, and it was firmly adherent to surrounding structures. The gland, on section, was very tough and fibrous. There were a number of small areas conta^ining caseous matter of which smears were made and found to consist to a great extent of lymphocytes and eosinophile cells. No living or cal- cified filariae were found (the gland had been preserved in formalin, thus making dissection a difficult task). A culture on agar, made from the lymph aspirated at the time of removal, proved sterile. Microscopical sections show islands of lymphoid cells surrounded by bands of fibrous tissue and a great excess of eosinophile cells. In addition to these cases the large irreducible mass of glands figured in Phot. VIII. was investigated. The individual glands which could be felt in the midst of an indefinite doughy swelling measured over three inches in length. No enlarged glands could be felt in the pelvis. Lymph was abstracted by means of a syringe and remained sterile on culture. No microfilariae were found in the lymph ; there were none in the blood. Only one case corresponding to the recognized descriptions of varicose groin glands was seen. This was in a Fijian male, aet. 28, who had a swelling in the left groin which could be reduced in the recumbent position. On palpation small shotty glands could be distinguished in the interior of the swelling. On puncture clear lymph continued to ooze out for some time. No microfilariae were found in this exudate or in the blood. APPENDIX XXV. Fijian, aet. 21. This man was under constant observation for ten months and was watched through three such attacks. Being my cook, I had every opportunity for making observations. The micro- filariae were not very numerous in the blood-stream and remained remarkably constant throughout the whole time. Thus, in :— April, 1910 Average of 3 slides 8 per 16 c. mm June, 1910 ) 5 12 „ 2-3 August, 1910 > ) 3 „ 5 September, 1910 3 J 3 „ 3 October, 1910 3 J 3 „ 1 )) )J 3 „ 3 ?5 3 „ 3 December, 1910 J ) 3 „ 3 February, 1911 J ) 3 „ 6 Previous to these observations he had had three attacks of adenitis in the left groin ; these glands were distinctly enlarged.