LOCOMOTION OF ASCARIS SUILLA ET LUMBRICOIDES AND THE INFLUENCE OF ANTHELMINTICS UPON THEM

Abstract

At the present time, ascariasis is to be considered as one of the serious medical problems in the oriental countries including Japan. In many human experiments in our country, it is found that both santonin and hexylresorcinol are reliable in their anthelminthic action (1). From the result of comparable studies on the pharmacological as well as clinical benefits of both drugs, it is confirmed that santonin is markedly superior to the other in view of its negligible side action. Effective doses of santonin never induce ill effects except a slight and temporary disturbance in vision, while oral administration of hexylresorcinol induced some local irritations on the mucous membrane of the digestive organ, even when it was administered under a perfect condition of coating on it. After taking santonin, ascaris are expelled alive and active. Some authorities, therefore, assume that santonin is not directly toxic to the parasites, but that rather they are irritated by the drug and migrate from the small intestine to the colon to be expelled (2-6). According to others, the drug is excreted in the intestine as an unknown compound, possibly an oxidation product, on which the ascaricidal properties may depend (7-12). But there has been no positive evidence to support both of the views until recently. We have now been able to find out a characteristic locomotion of ascaris in a glass tube which is made to imitate the shape of the bowel, and have good reasons to connect this movement of the worm closely with the anthelminthic activity of santonin (13).