Report on anaemia, or beri-beri, of Ceylon / by W.R. Kynsey.

Ceylon. Civil Medical Officer.

Date:: 1887

Credit: Report on anaemia, or beri-beri, of Ceylon / by W.R. Kynsey. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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The group Dochmius Dies is thus characterised by Leuckart:— Head bent towards the dorsal surface; mouth wide, and provided with a horny capsule, the abdoraiual luargia of which is longer and more promit:ent than the dorsal margin. At the bottom of the mouth stand, on the abdominal side, two symmetrical teeth, whilst on the dorsal side, on the same level, a conical point projects, inclined obliquely forwards, and reaching almost the opening of the mouth. Tlie abdominal margin of the mouth-capsule is somewhat thickened (jaw-like) at each side of the middle line, and often armed with strong (more or less hook-shaped) teeth. The dorsal margin likcivise carries a similar armature, in the circumference of the mouth there are six rib-like papillae, which, however, do not project outwards. Description of the Species.—Leuchart describes our species in the following words:— Body cylindrical, somewhat diminished anteriorly in the male, with conical-pointed head and a bulging mouth-capsule ; jaw-like thickenings at the upper margin, each provided with two claw-shaped strong hooks ; two, but not so strong, tooth-like projections on the o[)posite margin (dorsal); throat papillae pointed and conical; bursa with three valves, the breadth being greater than the length ; the tail ribs slit at their extremities, each with three short conical projections, of which the internal are only half the length of the external ; five side ribs, of which the three middle possess a common stem, whilst the posterior take their origin from the stem of the back ribs ; the anterior side ribs are split throughout their whole length ; two thin spicula, like fisli bones, of some considerable length. The tail end of the female is conical and pointed ; vulva behind the middle point of the body; an anterior and posterior uterus, both of which pass into a very long tortuous ovarium. Macroscopic Characteristics.—The parasites macroscopically olfer the following charac- teristics. Form of body fairly compact, cylindrical ; the length exceeds the breadth twenty times ; whitish ash-coloured, reddish, or black. The head is plainly seen bent towards the dorsal side. The posterior extremity is not bent—is pointed in the female and broad in the male ; length varies from 6 to 15 mm. The smallest female observed by me was 7 mm. in length ; the largest among several hundreds 15 mm. Leuckart found the length of the female 10 to 12 mm., rarely IS mm. ; the greatest thickness 1 mm.; I found the male 6 to 8 mm. iu length, rarely 10 mm. The growth does not seem to cease at sexual maturity. Microscopic Characteristics (Anatomy).—On microscopical examination the following peculiarities are noticed : the cuticula plainly ringed ; the mouth-capsule resembling a cup[)ing- glass. (The peculiar armature at the entrance of the month is only visible after special prepara- tion.) The long stretching oesophagus with thick walls is provided with six serrated chitinous stripes, the bulging stomach into which it opens, and the roomy intestines, lined with epithelium, running a tolerably straight course to the posterior extremity, where it opens. Besides this, there is observed, on turning over the animal, two minute conical papillae directed backwards, placed laterally, one on each side of the neck ; on the same level as these stand the opening of the cesophagus, and below a porus excretorious, in the middle line. Into these open two spindle-shaped organs running from the dorsal surface, the cervical glands. (Leuckart). Leuckart also describes two glands of the head lying in the middle line. The male organs of generation constitute a system of tubules, the thin extremity of which, intertwined and tortuous, forms the testicles and seminal ducts, whilst the thick tube opening externally is described as the ductus ejaculatorius. Between these lie the seminal vessels, oval or spindle-shaped, placed in the middle of the body and connected with the ductus ejaculatorius by a fine spindle-shaped canal. The seminal fluid, as I found it after a recent coitus in the body of the female, contained round, oval, or pear-shaped corpuscles, as have been observed by various authors in the other nematodes. These corpuscles are apparently capable of amoeboid movements. The female genital organs are formed in a manner analogous to that of the male, but attain to twice their developmeiut. These organs consist of.ovaries, oviducts, the union of which form the anterior and posterior oviducts, which, twisted in all directions, fill up the body; the two-horned uterus, which also serves as the receptaculum seminis, and of a short single vagina, which opens by a transverse slit on the abdominal side of the body below the middle line. The male genital tubes, forming a cloaca with the intestine, open at the posterior extremity upon a small papilla at the bottom of the bursa, which, on copulation, is fixed to the entrance of the vulva by the introduction into the latter of the two long spicula, so that the sperma may pass directly into the vagina. To effect this purpose, the male embraces the body of the female by means of the bursa-copulatrix. The connection is very firm, and may even continue after death. According to Schneider, the nematodes in copula are bound together by an adhesive cement; and, in fact, I have repeatedly observed the occurence of such a sticky substance on the bursa of the male, and found often a pair in copula Without the spicula being introduced, so that the union lasts longer than the coitus required. Among several thousands of expelled worms I found about one pair in copula in each hundred. The mode of coitus was first described by Dubini aud Bilharz. Bugnion gives a sketch of a pair in copula. Distinction from other kinds of Wot^ms.—Even on macroscopical examination it is scarcely possible to mistake the anchylostoma for other human parasites. The young of ascarides, which are however seldom met with, are of a much slenderer build. The females of the oxyuris vermicularis are distinguished by their pure white colour and their long, pointed, almost trans- lucent tail, whilst the tail of the comparatively small male is always coiled on itself. The larvee of insects which develop in the intestines,-or accidentally mix with the faeces, are distin- guished without much difficulty. At all events, there is never observed in any other of the parasites the peculiarly bent head of the anchylostoma. (I once considered amass of small, longisli bodies, which I found along with a number of anchylostoma, and which showed great similarity to the 77-87 [6i7]

Report on anaemia, or beri-beri, of Ceylon / by W.R. Kynsey.

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