The Animal Parasites of Man

By Harold Benjamin Fantham, Max Braun, Fred. V. Theobald and J. W. W. Stephens

"The Animal Parasites of Man" by Harold Benjamin Fantham, Max Braun, Fred V. Theobald, and J. W. W. Stephens is a scientific text that demystifies the world of parasites. As part of the animal kingdom, humans are host to a variety of microscopic parasites and have the potential to host many more, which are not naturally found among humans. In this book, the authors discuss the many different strains and species of parasites that can call the human form home.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Good Press
• Release date: Nov 21, 2019
• ISBN: 4057664648037

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Harold Benjamin Fantham, Max Braun, Fred. V. Theobald, J. W. W. Stephens

The Animal Parasites of Man

Published by Good Press, 2022

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EAN 4057664648037

Table of Contents

PREFACE.

ERRATA.

ON PARASITES IN GENERAL.

THE ANIMAL PARASITES OF MAN .

A. PROTOZOA , BY H.B. FANTHAM, M.A., D.Sc.

B. PLATYHELMINTHES , or Flat Worms. BY J.W.W. STEPHENS, M.D., B.C., D.P.H.

C. NEMATHELMINTHES . BY J.W.W. STEPHENS, M.D., B.C., D.P.H.

D. ACANTHOCEPHALA , Rud.

E. GORDIIDAE.

F. HIRUDINEA s. DISCOPHORA (Leech) .

G. ARTHROPODA (Jointed-limbed Animals) . BY FRED. V. THEOBALD, M.A.

PROTOZOA.

PLATHELMINTHES (Flat Worms) . BY J.W.W. STEPHENS, M.D., B.C., D.P.H.

HIRUDINEI (Leeches) .

ARTHROPODA.

INSECTA.

APPENDIX ON PROTOZOOLOGY,

APPENDIX ON TREMATODA AND NEMATODA.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

INDEX.

PREFACE.

Table of Contents

The English edition of Braun’s Die Tierischen Parasiten des Menschen, produced in 1906, being out of print, the publishers decided to issue another edition based on the translation of Braun’s fourth German edition, which appeared in 1908, to which had been added an appendix, by Dr. Otto Seifert on Treatment, etc.

When the work was considered with a view to a new edition, it was found that a vast amount of new matter had to be incorporated, numerous alterations essential for bringing it up to date were necessitated, and many omissions were inevitable. The result is that parts of the book have been rewritten, and, apart from early historical references, the work of Braun has disappeared. This is more particularly the case with the Protozoa section of the present work. The numerous additions, due to the great output of scientific literature and other delays in publication, have led to the book being somewhat less homogeneous than we desired, and have necessitated the use of appendices to allow of the presentation of new facts only recently ascertained. Many new illustrations have been added or substituted for older, less detailed ones. Some of these new figures were drawn specially for this book.

The first section, on the Protozoa, has been written by Dr. Fantham, there being little of the original text left except parts of the historical portions, and thus the section on Protozoa must be considered as new. The second section, on Worms (except the Acanthocephala, Gordiidæ and Hirudinea), has been remodelled by Professor Stephens to such an extent that this, too, must not be looked upon as a translation of Braun’s book. With regard to the Arthropoda, much remains as in the last English edition, but some new matter added by Braun in his fourth German edition is included, and much new matter by Mr. Theobald has been incorporated. As regards the Appendix by Dr. Seifert, the first section has been remodelled, but the sections on the Helminthes and the Arthropoda are practically translations of the original.

The authors desire to express their thanks to Miss A. Porter, D.Sc., J.P. Sharples, Esq., B.A., M.R.C.S., and H.F. Carter, Esq., F.E.S., for valuable help. They also wish to thank the authors, editors, and publishers of several manuals and journals for their courtesy in allowing the reproduction of certain of their illustrations. In this connection mention must be made more particularly of Professor Castellani, Dr. Chalmers, Professor Doflein, Dr. Leiper, the late Professor Minchin, Professor Nuttall, Dr. Wenyon, Mr. Edw. Arnold, Messrs. Baillière, Tindall and Cox, Messrs. Black, Messrs. Cassell, Dr. Gustav Fischer, Messrs. Heinemann, the Cambridge University Press, the Editors of the Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, the Editors of the Journal of Experimental Medicine, and the Editor of the Tropical Diseases Bulletin.

H.B.F.

J.W.W.S.

F.V.T.

December, 1915.

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We regret to have taken without permission from the Transactions of The Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, London, the following diagrams:—

and tender our regret to the Society in question for having done so.

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ERRATA.

Table of Contents

P. 31, line 6 from bottom: delete human, as Leidy really worked with Endamœba blattæ, parasitic in the gut of the cockroach.

P. 43, line 12 from bottom: for John’s read Johns.

P. 44, line 13 from bottom: for "Amœba buccalis, Sternberg," read "Amœba buccalis, Steinberg."

P. 46, line 13 from top: for breath read breadth.

P. 53, In footnote ¹, line 6 from bottom: insert see before Arch. f. Protistenk.

P. 75: To paragraph regarding development of the parasite in the fly’s salivary glands, add that the crithidial phase takes two to five days.

P. 111, line 8 from top: the date of Sangiorgi should be 1911.

P. 142, line 7 from top: insert Genus. before Eimeria.

P. 252, Insert heading "Family. Opisthorchiidæ, Braun, 1901," above "Sub-family. Opisthorchiinæ, Looss, 1899."

P. 351, description of fig.255, line 3: for Thoma read Thomas.

P. 471, line 15 from bottom: for alcohol 100 parts read alcohol 100c.c.

P. 472, line 11 from bottom: for "Or (2) 10 per cent. formalin," read "Or (2) fix in hot 10 per cent. formalin."

P. 493, line 21 from top: for Conoy read Couvy.

P. 589, line 2 from top: for "carnosa" read "carnaria."

P. 620, line 15 from top: for fo read of.

P. 622, line 12 from bottom: delete comma after quantity.

P. 626, line 6 from bottom: delete comma after Mackie (1915).

P. 638: insert title "TREMATODES above that of Fascioliasis."

P. 709, line 9 from bottom: omit second Pediculus capitis.

P. 748, line 8 from top: for cytologica read cytological.

P. 753, line 4 from bottom: for "Fercocercous" read "Furcocercous."

P. 755 line 7: for "Oncocerca" read "Onchocerca."

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ON PARASITES IN GENERAL.

Table of Contents

By the term PARASITES is understood living organisms which, for the purpose of procuring food, take up their abode, temporarily or permanently, on or within other living organisms. There are both plants and animals (Phytoparasites and Zoöparasites) which lead a parasitic life in or upon other plants and other animals.

Phytoparasites are not included in the following descriptions of the forms of parasitism, but a very large number of animal parasites (zoöparasites) are described. The number of the latter, as a rule, is very much underrated. How great a number of animal parasites exists may be gathered from the fact that all classes of animals are subject to them. Some of the larger groups, such as Sporozoa, Cestoda, Trematoda and Acanthocephala, consist entirely of parasitic species, and parasitism even occurs among the vertebrates (Myxine). It therefore follows that the characteristics of parasites lie, not in their structure, but in the manner of their existence.

Parasitism itself occurs in various ways and degrees. According to R. Leuckart, we should distinguish between OCCASIONAL (temporary) and PERMANENT (stationary) PARASITISM. Occasional parasites, such as the flea (Pulex irritans), the bed-bug (Cimex lectularius), the leech (Hirudo medicinalis), and others, only seek their host to obtain nourishment and find shelter while thus occupied. Without being bound to the host, they usually abandon the latter soon after the attainment of their object (Cimex, Hirudo), or they may remain on the body of their host throughout their entire development from the hatching of the egg (Pediculus). It follows from this mode of living that the occasional parasites become sometimes distinguishable from their free-living relatives, though only to a slight extent. It is, therefore, seldom difficult to determine the systematic position of temporary parasites from their structure.

In consequence of their mode of life, all these temporary parasites live on the external surface of the body of their host, though more rarely they take up their abode in cavities easily accessible from the exterior, such as the mouth, nose and gills. They are therefore frequently called Epizoa or Ectoparasites; but these designations do not cover only the temporary parasites, because numerous epizoa (as for instance the louse) are parasitic during their entire life.

In contradistinction to these temporary parasites, the permanent parasites obtain shelter as well as food from their host for a long period, sometimes during the entire course of their life. They do not seek their host only when requiring nourishment, but always remain with it, thus acquiring substantial protection. The permanent parasites, as a rule, live within the internal organs, preferably in those which are easily accessible from the exterior, such as the intestine, with its appendages. Nevertheless, permanent parasites are also found in separate organs and systems, such as the muscular and vascular systems, hollow bones and brain, while some live on the outer skin. Here again, the terms Entozoa and Endoparasites do not include all stationary parasites; to the latter, for instance, the lice belong, which pass all their life on the surface of the body of their host, where they find shelter and food and go through their entire development. The ectoparasitic trematodes, numerous insects, crustacea, and other animals live in the same manner.

All Helminthes, however, belong to the group of permanent parasites. This term is now applied to designate certain lowly worms which lead a parasitic life (intestinal worms); but they are not all so termed. For instance, the few parasitic Turbellaria are never classed with the helminthes, although closely related to them. The turbellarians, in fact, belong to a group of animals of which only a few members are parasitic, whereas the helminthes comprise those groups of worms of which all species (Cestoda, Trematoda, Acanthocephala), or at least the majority of species (Nematoda), are parasitic. Formerly the Linguatulidæ (Pentastoma) were classed with the helminthes because their existence is also endoparasitic, and because the shape of their body exhibits a great similarity to that of the true helminthes. Since the study of the development of the Linguatulidæ (P.J. van Beneden, 1848, and R. Leuckart, 1858) has demonstrated that they are really degenerate arachnoids, they have been separated from the helminthes.

It is hardly necessary to emphasize the fact that the helminthes or intestinal worms do not represent a systematic group of animals, but only a biological one, and that the helminthes can only be discussed in the same sense as land and water animals are mentioned, i.e., without conveying the idea of a classification in such a grouping. It is true that formerly this was universally done, but very soon the error of such a classification was recognized. Still, until the middle of last century, the helminthes were regarded as a systematic group, although C.E. v. Baer (1827) and F.S. Leuckart (1827) strenuously opposed this view. Under the active leadership of J.A.E. Goeze, J.G.H. Zeder, J.G. Bremser, K.A. Rudolphi and F. Dujardin, the knowledge of the helminthes (helminthology) developed into a special study, but unfortunately it lost all connection with zoology. It required the intervention of Carl Vogt to disestablish the helminthes as one class of animals, by uniting the various groups with those of the free-living animals most closely related to them (Platyhelminthes, Nemathelminthes).

Permanent parasitism in the course of time has caused animals adopting this mode of life to undergo considerable, sometimes even striking, bodily changes, permanent ectoparasites having as yet undergone least alteration. The latter sometimes bear so unmistakably the likeness to the group to which they belong, that even a superficial knowledge of their structure and appearance often suffices for the recognition of their systematic position. For instance, though the louse, like many decidedly temporary parasites, has lost its wings—a characteristic of insects—in consequence of parasitism, yet nobody would deny its insect nature; such also occurs in other temporary parasites (Cimex, Pulex). On the other hand, the changes in a number of permanent ectoparasites (such as parasitic Crustacea) are far more considerable, and correspond with those that have occurred in permanent endoparasites.

These alterations depend partly on retrogression and partly on the acquisition of new peculiarities. In the former case, the change consists in the loss of those organs which have become useless in a permanent parasitic condition of existence, such as wings in the louse, and the articulated extremities seen in the larval stage of parasitic Crustacea. The loss of these organs goes hand in hand with the cohesion of segments of the body that were originally separate, and alterations in the muscular and nervous systems. In the same manner another means of locomotion is lost—the ciliated coat—which is possessed by many permanent parasites during their larval period. To all appearances, this character is not secondary and recently acquired, but represents a primary character inherited from free-living progenitors, and still transmitted to the altered descendants, because of its use during the larval stage (e.g., the larvæ of a great many Trematodes, the oncospheres of some Cestodes). Amongst the retrogressions, the loss of the organs of sense may be mentioned, particularly the eyes, which are still present, not only in the nearest free-living forms but also in the free-living larvæ of