A case of filaria sanguinis hominis nocturna / by Charles Williams.

  • Williams, Charles, 1827-1907.
Date:
1893
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A case of filaria sanguinis hominis nocturna / by Charles Williams. 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.

    4/20 (page 4)
    When a drop of blood is quickly transferred to the micro- scope, the embryos are observed to make vigorous movements : These consist of repeated coilings and twistings, the caudal extremity being most actively engaged, and with a lashing kind of movement. They are enclosed in a delicate sheath, which is scarcely visible when the embryos are recently removed from the body, but as the movements get less vigorous it becomes more apparent, the worm withdraws either its head or its tail from the extremity of the sheath, leaving this empty and flaccid. This subject will be referred to again. These worms usually remain alive and move about on the slide from one to three days. This Hasmatozoon is the non-sexual embryo of a mature nematode worm, the Filaria Bancrofti, the female of which measures 3^ inches in length by fa of an inch in breadth, and is a long slender parasite, having very much the appear- ance of a delicate thread of cat-gut, is very animated, and has a sort of wriggling movement; a narrow alimentary canal runs nearly the whole length of the worm, the remainder of the body being entirely occupied by reproductive organs. Under the microscope, fully-formed embryos can be seen con- stantly escaping in countless numbers from the vagina. The parasite is therefore viviparous. The male is considerably smaller. The two worms live together, and are always to be found in a lymphatic vessel, which they make their habitat, and which by their presence they indeed effectually block, the consequence of this is, that stasis of lymph occurs, and a collection of it takes place in parts on the distal side ; for instance, if the worms have taken up their abode in one of the lymph vessels or glands of the scrotum, in course of time en- largement of this part will occur, and on its surface vesicles usually of small size will periodically form and discharge lymph, in which filarial in great abundance are to be found. This affection is known by the term, Lymph-Scrotum. The parent filaria, lying in a lymphatic vessel, emits her