The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-01-17

they are Matched and the worms grow,
clinging TO the stomach walls. Very often
they bore through the stomach and kill the
horse When ready 70 do so, they pass
out of the horse with the dejecta, fail 70
the ground and go into the chrysalis state.
In due time they come out as flies and
look around for other horses TO lay their
eggs upon. The notion OF 3 winged insect
that is only able TO perpetuate its species
by going through the body OF horse
seems very weird indeed.
Not less remarkable IN Its way IS a par
asitic worm known as the "liver fiuke."
which attaches itself during certain
stage of its being to the liver and lungs of
cattle. During its early growth ltgoes
through a series of astonishing meta
morphoses. developing new self inside OF
its old self several times. Finally it leaves
the body of the beast, and what becomes
of il is not precisely known; but there -
no doubt that il is eventually transformed
into some species of snail that lives in wet
places 1t certainly must lay its eggs IN
such spots, where the cattle lick them up,
thus completing the cycle of its being.
It is the same way with many OF the
fifty different animal parasites which are
known TO attack and more or less atfiict
human beings, not counting bacteria,
because they are supposed 10 be Vege-
table. The worms which bother
children are got mostly from playing
in earth which contains the eggs, the
latter being conveyed TO the mouth by the
hand. They also come from drinking i'm
pure water, and it is interesting to find
that the complaint they cause IS compare
lively rare in cities where the drinking
water is filtered, IS IN Paris. Two learned
Italian scientists are to be credited with
this discovery. Having suspected the
true origin and nature of the trouble, they
experimental on themselves by swallow
ing. each of them, 15O eggs OF the worm
they had an eve upon. Both of them
found the trial distressingly successful;
but in order to make certain, they fed 100
of the eggs to a nice little boy and OBJ
tanned from them LAB of the parasites.
It is an uncomfortable thing to reallZe
that human beings are liable to ten differ
emit species of tapeworms. The ordinary
American species is comparatively rare In
Europe. 1t is derived from beef, and par
ticularly from the muscles about the
tongue, with which organ the cow orig
inally acquires the eggs. Specimens have
been found which measured as much as
twenty-four feet in length. But it should
be understood that a tapeworm, from the
biologists point OF view, Is not single
animal, but colony, each segment being
an individual. There is very dangerous
tapeworm which comes from the pig and
sometimes finds Judgment in the eye or
the brain. Another kind, from fish, IS
very common in Russia and Switzer-
land, and grows to length OF
thirty-two feet. A sort of tape
worm that occurs in children is
also discovered in rats and mice. 1t is
obtained from little beetles and butterflies,
which very young people sometimes put
into their mouths. The most dreadful of
all animal parasites is a tapeworm. which
develops IN the liver, the lungs, the brain.
the bones or elsewhere, into a bail as big
as child's head. 1t Is greatly prevalent
in Iceland, where five per cent. of the
human inhabitants and twenty-five per
cent. of the dogs and sheep have it. In
Abyssinia tapeworms are so common that
proverb popular there declares that a
person cannot be perfectly healthy with
out one.
Thus far only beginning has been
made by this government in the work of
fighting the parasites of animals. By al
ways condemning the pigs which are in
fected with trichin9, the latter will be rem
dered eventually less common. Like
wise it viii be with tape
worms, which have already grown
comparatively rare in Germany. Such
foes as heel-fiies and gad-hies are COM
bated successfully and destroyed by
the beasts attacked. In it's labors on this
subject the bureau of animal industry of
the department of agriculture, which has
the matter in charge. devotes its attention
first of all to studying the life history of
each parasite, in order to find out at what
stage of its existence the enemy can be at
tackled to the best advantage. Having
procured full knowledge of the habits
and manner of existence of the adversary.
it is comparatively easy to interfere with
It's operations. RENE BAcHE.