United labor bulletin., 1913-10-25

(lQN)

presence stimulates human beings TO eat clay and
earth. But there is another route and one OF the
romances OF science must now be explained To
wards the end of the last century. when cholera
prevalent in Alexandria. Doctor Looss. the
distinguished parasitologist. working in the
local laboratory at the larva of ancylostoma. In
transferring some of the water containing larvae
from one watchgla TO another by means of
pipette he accidentally split drop on to the back
OF his hand. He did not wait to wipe it OF. but
after time he noticed that the place where the
drop had fallen intensely irritable and had be
come Redeemed and inhamed. He then made
further experiment; placing drop of the huid
swarming with larvae on the back OF his hand he
allowed II partially to dry up. The burning and
the reddening OF the skin began over again. and
little later when he removed what was left of the
fluid very few OF the larvae to be found The
great majority OF them had disappeared These
little trines gave Doctor Looss "furiously to
think" the French SAY. and he then repaired
TO the hospital. where he found boy whose leg
was about TO be removed, He dropped little OF
the fluid full OF ancylosoma larvae the leg. and
after the leg was cut on the area in question
removed and cut into sections When these
tions examined through the microscope the
little ancylostoma larvae forcing their
way down into the body through the skin. espe-
cially travelling by the hair follicles, and to a
lesser extent. through the sweat glands into the
deeper layers OF the skin II was. OF course i'm
possible to pursue this work with the human
ancylostoma. and Doctor Looss had to carry on
his work with another species. The larvae OF A
lymphatcs OF the dog. Swept along In the blood
stream they easily reach the lungs. Once arrived
in the lungs the larvae have difficulty In trav-
ersing the soft pulmonary tissue and making their
way In the cavity OF the respiratory organs
Thence they travel along the bronchial tubes and
so to the windppe and into the larynx and up al
most into the mouth. and here they turn back into
the oesophagus and so down into the stomach and
intestine. The whole OF this remarkable Journey
takes from seven TO ten day. They then shed the
skin of their second moult and later when they
reach the alimentary canal. they undergo third
and fourth ecdyss or mout In eight days they
become capable of reproduction. and in a very few
more days the eggs are then passing away from
tho body of the host. The whole cycle OF their
1ife.history has taken. under favorable circum
stances. from month to six weeks: under unfa.
vorable circumstances It can be almost Indefinite
ly prolonged The truth of this very remarkable
and until Doctor Looss' Investigations quite un-
heard OF life-history is now accepted Doctor Sam
bon however. thinks that In many cases the an
oylostoma larvae reach the alimentary canal with
the blood stream. and crectly penetrate its walls
without passing through the lungs
Since the middle OF the seventeenth century a
fatal disease has becn known to exist in the
warmer parts OF America. In 164s Piso In his
"Historia Medioo Brasiliae" gives an account
Of disease which he calls "oppilacao," and