Page:Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, volume 3 (2).djvu/14

52 DESCRIPTION OP species, and to acknowledge that our anticipations were well founded.

In fact the parasites of man, of the chimpanzee, and of the gorilla, represent nothing more than varieties of one and the same species.

The differences we have been able to observe between these three forms are in fact of small importance. Those which appeared to us constant exist especially in the caudal pouch of the male.

In the CEsophagostomiim Stephanostomum type the external branch of the posterior rib is inserted perceptibly in the u]:)per fourth of the free posterior side of this rib and turns directly outwards.

In the dentigera variety, this branch is inserted in the upper third and bends downwards, so as to follow a direc- tion parallel to that of the main branch.

In the Brazillian variety, it is inserted in the upper third and bends inwards, in order to come into contact with the main branch. Finally the caudal extremity of the female appears to have suffered here a much more abrupt bending than in the two preceding forms. We propose to call this new human parasite CEsophagostomum StephanostoTnuyii var. Thomasi.

Let us observe, in conclusion, that its relationship with the ffisophagostomes of the chimpanzee and of the gorilla, would tend to attribute it to an African origin.

Mr. T. PuGH Beddoes said he would like to know what were the symptoms in this case, and whether there were any manifestations different from the ordinary symp- toms of dysentery and diarrhoea. Also did the local men in any way differentiate this affection from the other cases which they had seen ?