On the endemic haematuria of the south-east coast of Africa / by the late Vasy Lyle ; with an introduction by John Harley ; communicated by John Harley.

  • Lyle, Vasy.
Date:
1883
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the endemic haematuria of the south-east coast of Africa / by the late Vasy Lyle ; with an introduction by John Harley ; communicated by John Harley. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

    17/22 (page 15)
    My attempts to rear the larvae of Bilharzia have hitherto been unsuccessful: a result similar to that attained in the more experienced hands of Dr. Cobbold and Dr. John Harley. I have never had any difficulty in obtaining the well- developed ciliated animalcule, and have observed the various shapes it assumes under different circumstances, but know of nothing which points the way to a recogni- tion of the next form in the metamorphosis. According to Cobbold (f Bntozoa/ p. 199) it appears Griesinger conjectures that the young of Bilharzia exist in the waters of the Nile, in the fishes which therein abound, or even in bread, grain, or fruit. That they do exist in the waters of infested countries I have no doubt, but from the facts I am about to relate I have equally no doubt they are not in Natal introduced into the human system in the manner supposed; bread, grain, and fruit are consumed equally by the population of town and country, whether European, Kaffir, or Indian, yet the population of the town of Durban remains as yet free from the pest. The Kaffirs scrupulously avoid eating fish and yet they are affected. It appears to me one must seek for a more universally employed agent of introduc- tion, and that is afforded in the water used for domestic purposes. In the town of Durban rain-water is used, or water drawn from wells; elsewhere in the colony, with very few exceptions, the nearest river or pond supplies all that is needed. The above remarks will apply with greater force, as will be illustrated further on, to Cobbold's own suggestion that certain gasteropod mollusks are the intermediate bearers and vehicles for introduction. I confess my own observations lead to nothing definite, they, however, seem to point out the direction our precau- tions should take to avoid contracting the helminthiasis whilst residing in or travelling through an infested district. In his papers read before the Royal Medical and Chi- rurgical Society, Dr. John Harley recognises the possibility