Page:Tropical Diseases.djvu/738

exhibited the anatomical features and periodicity characteristic of microfilaria bancrofti. One morning he committed suicide by swallowing a large quantity of dilute hydrocyanic acid. Death was almost instantaneous. At the post-mortem examination, made six hours later, a huge lymphatic varix was found occupying the pelvis and back part of the abdominal cavity. In the dilated lymphatic vessels many adult filariæ—F. bancrofti—were found. The distribution of the microfilariæ was studied by counting them in drops of blood expressed from the various organs, and also in sections. The result is summarized in the following tables:—

ENUMERATION OF MICROFILARIÆ IN A DROP OF BLOOD
EXPRESSED FROM THE FOLLOWING ORGANS

Organ	No. of slides	Aggregate No. of microfilariæ	Average per slide
Liver	3	2	2/3
Spleen	3	3	1
Brachial venæ comites	4	111	28
Bone marrow	1	0	0
Muscle of heart	3	365	122
Carotid artery	1	612	612
Lung	10	6,751	675

ENUMERATION OF MICROFILARIÆ IN SECTIONS OF THE
FOLLOWING ORGANS

Organ	No. of sections	Aggregate No. of microfilariæ	Average per section
Liver	10	3	0·3
Spleen	4	0	0·0
Kidney	8	13	1·6
Brain	4	4	1·0
Muscle (voluntary)	3	2	0·33
Heart muscle	4	68	17·0
Lung	6	301	50·16
Lobe of ear	4	1	0·25
Scrotum	4	0	0·0

In the lung sections (Fig. 100) the microfilariæ lay outstretched or variously coiled in the vessels, large and small. In the heart-muscle they lay along the capillaries between the fibres; in the kidneys they seemed specially to affect the Malpighian tufts; a very few were found in the capillaries of the brain; vast numbers were found in smears from the inner surface of the carotid arteries. The preparations afforded no explanation as to how the microfilariæ contrive to maintain their position in the blood current, or as to the forces