The Poisons Given Off by Parasitic Worms in Man and Animals

Abstract

MANY Of the symptoms affecting the human subject as well as animals who harbor parasitic worms have been attributed by certain authors to poisons which the latter develop within the body of their host. Peiper, of Greifswald, recently published an article in which he gathered together a good deal of evidence from scattered sources, evidence which very clearly proves that a number of worms do give off poisons. In the case of the Ascari (familiarly called round or maw worms), which are found in man, the pig, the cat, and horse, the evidence is very striking. There are a number of cases recorded where children who suffered from convulsions, loss of consciousness, great loss of flesh, anemia, and other symptoms, were promptly and permanently cured of all of these by the use of. medicines ( anthelmintics, vulgarly called worm medicines ), which removed the parasites from the body. A number of authors have claimed that these parasites were simply injurious through their presence as foreign bodies within the intestine, as well as through their boring, their active movements, and their robbing their host of his proper share of the food he had eaten. That these worms contain some poisonous substance was claimed by Miram, who whilst studying the Ascazr-is mnegalocepllala suffered twice from attacks of sneezing, swelling of the eyelids, and excessive secretion of tears, besides severe itching and swelling of the fingers which had been in contact with the worms. Von Linstow noted that when these worms were cut open they gave off a sharp, peppery odor and caused tears to flow from his eyes. Inadvertently touching his eye with a finger which had been in contact with these worms, a very severe inflammation of the conjunctiva, with a condition known as chemosis, resulted. Raillet, Arthus, -47