Year: 1872

Prom the Charleston Is. c.) News


A short time ago a sailor was scnt 10
the city hospital from the British bark
Georgian, who was supposed to be suffer
ing from a sore leg. The man had been
sailing for near three months, but mono
Of his shipmatos supposed that there was
anything serious the matter with him.
Accordingly, when few days before his
removal to the hospital, he declared him
self unable to walk, the captain Of the
ship supposed that he was endeavoring 10
make an excuse for getting away from
the vessel, that he might he left in port,
the ship being prepared to sail in a few
days.


When removed to the hospital, tho
mans right leg was very much swollen.
and manifested all the SYMPTOMS of theer'
ysipelas, for which malady his affection
was at first mistaken. At the end of
few days, however, an abscess formed
upon the inner side Of the ankle, from
which, after il had burst, protruded
about three inches of a white, membran,
eous looking substance, about an eighth
Of an inch in diameter. This singular
manifestion induced careful examiDa-
ton of the leg, which developed the fact
the man was afflicted with the draeuncut-
us, or Guinea worm. This is horrible
parasite, found only along the shores Of
the Indian ocean, Red sen, and certain
portions of the Mediterranean. IL infests
damp and muddy soils and impure water
and generally attacks the feet andlegs, but
sometimes other portions Of the body,
At the time that it forsakes its native el,
ement for the more luxurious habitation
Of flesh and blood, isis scarcely larger
than common flea but having buried
itself beneath the skin, it grows with
alarming rapidity, and will attain size
varying from six inches to six feet in
length, by one twelfth to one eighth of an
inch in diameter. II lies dormant until
it reaches the age Of maturity, after
which it commences a series of wild
wanderings and meanderings about the
muscles and bones, which cause the un-
suspecting victim TO suffer intense pain.
1t always travels downward, and with
such rapidity that it will sometimes trav-
ell the whole length Of the human frame
in twenty-tour hours. 1t will sometimes
come to the surface and lie under the skin
like long white cord, but should tho
surgeon attempt to extract it with the
knife without first securing it with the
nippers, it will elude his grasp and scam,
per away with the agility Of an eel. II
portion of the worm is removed, the re-
naming portion will not die, but contin-
ues as gay and lively as ever. The first
symptoms of the Ginea worm are disa-
greeable itching and irritation of the in
fected parts. Alter it begins to move
about its paths are followed by external
abscesses, and when the paths lie along
the stomach, internal Assesses also. 1t
always ultimately endeavors to leave the
system by working its way through tho
skin, generally through the ankle, but
this is only after it has left from ten to
fifteen young behind. The usual number
of worms that are found In one person
varies from one to fifty. There is ono
case on record, however, CT man dying
from the effects of Ginea worm, whose
body and skin were nothing but net.
work Of these horrible creatures. Death
rarely results from the ravages Of the
worm. and when it does ii is generally
the result of some disease produced by
the inflammation, and other effects Of the
worms wanderings. The Guinea worm
does not confne ravages to man, but will
also attack dogs and horses, The sailor
in question made voyage to the eastern
coast Of Africa about six months ago, and
while there received the parasites into
his system, One of these worms has al
ready been extracted from his right leg,
but another has made its appearance in
the left. lie is doing as we'll as can be
expected under the circumstances. This
is probably the first ease Of the kind ever
known in Charleston.