Lumbricus Teres, or Some Anatomical Observations on the Round Worm Bred in Human Bodies. By Edward Tyson M. D. Col. Med. Lond. Nec Non. Reg. Societ. Soc.

II. Benjamini à Broeckhuyzen Med. et Phil. Doct. &c. O ECONOMIA CORPORAIS ANIMALIS, sive cogitationes succinctae de Mente, Corpore, et utriusque coniunctione, juxta Methodum Philosophiae Cartesiana, deductae. Amstelodami 1683. 8°. I. LUMERICUS TERES, or some Anatomical Observations on the Round Worm bred in human bodies. By Edward Tyson M.D. Col. Med. Lond. nec non. Reg. Societ. Soc. Having been so large in my former instance, in my Discourse on the Joyned-worm, I intend to Contrast myself in this. Not that our present subject is scanty, or does not afford a sufficient plenty of remarkable observations; But I chose rather to select what most suites our design. For to be exact and nice in all particulars, would require a just Treatise, and exceed the bounds I have at present set myself. I shall therefore here give the Anatomy of the Lumbricus teres, that common Round Worm which Children usually are troubled with: and in this more particularly make my remarks upon the Organs of generation in both Sexes; and herein shew how vastly different they are from those parts in the common Earth Worms, and it may be, most others. And withall I had designed, together with this, to have given the Anatomy of the Earth Worm, but since have altered my intentions: and at present shall refer to the account given of it by the famous Dr. Willis, reserving my farther observations of it to another opportunity. This sort of Worm by Hippocrates is named σερπίνης; by Celsus, teres; and is usually about a foot long, or something more, or less; but I have hitherto observed that the Male is generally lesser than the Female: so that by their their bigness in the same body I have before dissection been able to distinguish the Sex. They are about the bigness of a Wheat straw, or a Goose quill; their colour White; but being subjects so generally known to all, I shall forbear a further description of their outward parts; Onely as I remember I did not observe those feet, or asperities on the Annuli, as in the Earth Worm. At both extremes they grow narrow. Their mouth is compos'd of three Lips as in our figure. So the Leech hath three Cartilaginous Teeth set in a triangle, by which they make the wound in the Skin in Suction. The Anus is a transverse slit a little before the extreme point of the Tail. In opening the body I found I cut thorow a large Muscle under the Skin: Which Muscle in Earth Worms I find is spiral; as in a good measure is their motion likewise; so that by this means, like the Worm of an anger, they can the better bore their passage into the Earth. Their reptile motion also may be explained by a Wire wound on a Cylinder; which when slip't off, and one end extended and held fast, will bring the other nearer it. So the Earth Worm having shot out or extended it's body, (which is with a wreathing) it takes hold by those small feet it hath, and so contracts the hinder part of it's body. Likewise I observed that dividing this part there issued out a copious Ichor; which is naturally discharged by some Pores or small Vents in the Skin; which in the Earth Worm is of great use, by rendering the surface of the body slippery, that so it might the easierly glide into the Earth. And in these other Worms of the Intestines this humor (as in Leeches) makes a covering to the body, which is often cast off, and observed as a Mucus, in the Stools of those troubled with them. In these Teretes of Animal bodies I never observed those transverse Diaphragms which are so numerous in Earth Worms, and do intersect or rather so deeply depress the Intestine. But the Cavity chiefly seems to be fill'd with the genital parts, which I shall now describe: Onely shall first remark that the passage from the mouth was somewhat straightned for a short space, and was distinguished, as in our figure, from the following Ductus; which was a strait Intestine continued to the end of the body, without any winding or other distinction of a Stomack that I could observe. As to the Genital parts of the Male I could here observe a Penis, a Vesicula seminalis, and a Testis: In the Female a Pudendum, Vagina Uteri, Cornua Uteri, and Spermatick Vessels. The Penis in the Male was placed at the Tail or opposite Extreme to the head; and seemed to be able to exert itself almost the length of a Barley Corn, or proportionably to the length of the Vagina in the Female. At the root of the Penis was inserted the neck of the Vesicula Seminalis, which gradually grew larger as it ascended in the body, and usually did reach almost half way. 'Twas filled and turgid with a milkie Juice; Which it received from a slender Vessel of the same Colour inserted into it. Which after one turning, was afterwards very much convoluted; and being so, forms that body I call the Testis. Altho' this part be so loosely contexed, as even to the naked Eye it appears but as a continued vessel, and may easily be unravelled it's whole length, which I measured was above a Yard: yet I make no difficulty of giving it the name of a Testis; since 'tis now sufficiently known, that the Testes in more compleat Animals are onely a congeries of Vessels. And a Rat, besides this Worm, is not the onely Subject wherein I have found them thus loose and easily separable. In the Female Worm, almost about the middle of the body, but more towards the head, I observed an Orifice or Pudendum, which led into the Vagina Uteri; which soon divided into the two Cornua which were large, and remarkable markable. For descending something winding towards the Tail, they were then reflected again, and did each of them terminate in slender Vessels, White, as they were, but much smaller; and did lie in several convolutions and windings amongst them. These I take for Spermatick Vessels. Having taken those Vessels, with the Cornua Uteri and Vagina, out of the body, and laid them on a Paper to dry; I found from each Cornu, to the end of the Spermatick Vessels which I had preserved, that they measured above four foot. I opened the Cornua Uteri and found them turgid with a milky Juice, having placed a little of it upon a small Microscope, I plainly perceived 'twas nothing else but an infinite number of small Eggs; tho to the naked eye it appeared only as a fluid body. These Eggs when fresh, appeared, as is represented in our fourth Figure, covered with abundance of small asperities; but as they grew dry their Surface appeared Smooth. By comparing that small quantity I did observe, in which I could distinguish so many Eggs, with the whole substance contained in both the Cornua, I cannot guess there can be so few as 10000 Eggs in each Female Worm. How far different this Worm is from common Earth Worms as to these parts, I need only to refer to Dr. Willis's figures and account of it, to shew. And I am yet to learn what Worm out of the body has these Organs thus formed. When once there, the Case is plain how they propagate themselves. And Menjotius, and all before him, that were of that Opinion, are mistaken; who say that these Worms do not generate; nor have any distinction of Sexes. Hippocrates is express, ἀνδρὸς ἐστὶν ἄριστος. And I think nothing can be plainer than this distinction of Sexes in them. (a) Willis de Anima Brutor. cap. 3. (b) Ant. Menjotius, dissertat. Patholog. part. 3. p. m. 512. (c) Hippocr. l. a. de morbis. But I find on the other hand, there are many who do not only allow them to generate, but do make them Viviparous too. Thus P. d Borellus tells us, Vermem Crassum ab hominis Corpore eductum, fortèque pedibus exenteratum, non sine admiratione vidi vermiculis innumeris resertum esse. So Amatus Lusitanus tells much such a Story; that a Girl voiding a large Worm, and the father treading on it, ex eo alij prodierunt Vermes. And Felix Platerus gives an observation of a Boy that was Hydropical, and voided all his excrements upwards; who dying in the Hospital, and they observing a motion and palpitation in his belly, were afraid to bury him till they had sent for the Doctor. He opening him found the Intestines in some places swell'd as big as his Thigh, in others so convoluted, intorted, and twisted, that hindered any passage downwards, either of Excrements or Wind; Sed & vermis vivis quamplurimis repleta erant, qui rursum alis minoribus reserti. You may see an Instance likewise de Vermibus fietis in Salmuth Cent. 3. Obs. 24. But D. Dominicus Panarolus is very express; and tells us he observed it thus in two several persons. In utroque expulsi fuerunt Vermes Colore Carneo, longitudine circa sexdecem digitos, qui praegnantes erant, & ligno collisi cum fuissent, apparuerunt vermes parvis subtiles, albi, longitudine sex digitorum, prope inumeri, qui tanquam serpentes parvi movebantur. But whatever is related of this nature I cannot but think it is a mistake; and that they were imposed upon by the Genital parts of this Worm; which not warily examined, might easily make them to think they are so many small Worms. For they are not Viviparous but Oviparous, as I have shewn; and their containing so vast a number of Eggs in the Cornua (d) P. Borellus hist. & observ. Cent. 1. Obs. 89. (e) Amatus Lusitanus Cent. 3. curat. 46. (f) Felix Platerus Obs. lib. 3. p. m. 657. (g) D. m. Panarol. Obs. Med. Peutec. 5. Obs. 15. Uteri, as I have expressed, does sufficiently account for that prodigious quantity, that are sometimes observed to be bred in Animal bodies. Panarolus tells us he once saw the Stomack and Guts stuffed with them so that they ascended up to the Throat. Baricellus by the use of Crude Mercury brought away from a Patient above a hundred. Jo. Jaduc. Weckerus did the like with the use of Tansy Seed and Syrup of Violets. Gaubinus saw voided by Stool 177. Benivenius saw voided by a Child 7 years old 152 Worms. And Jacob Hollerius, out of Musa, gives us an History of a man 82 years old, who voided above 500. And Petrus Paulus Pereda saw a Noble-man's Child in a few days void almost a Thousand, and she voided 40 in 4 hours time. Those Animal's are usually the most Multiparous, whose young are the most exposed to danger; and were it not so here that the greatest part of the litter of this Worm is usually carried forth by the Feces, it could not be avoided but we should be devoured by an Enemy we breed in our own Bowels. That caution therefore of Henr. ab Heers I think is necessary. To avoid the giving the Powder of these Worms for expelling others, since we cannot be secure but that at the same time we may sow the Seed for propagating more. (h) Panarol. Pentec. i. Obs. 41. (i) Bariccl. in hortulo genitali. (k) Wecker. de obsero. propriis. (l) Beniven. de abditis. cap. 85. (m) Holler. de morb. interna. lib. i. in Schol. ad cap. 54. (n) Pereda de curand. morb. lib. i. cap. 5. (o) Hen. ab Heers Obs. med. l. i. Obs. 9. p. 101. THE EXPLANATION OF THE FIGURES. FIGURE I. Represents the Male Worm opened. Where a. Shews the three Lips of the Worm. b. The Oesophagus, or Gullet. c c c. The large Intestine. d. The Penis. e e. The Vesicula Seminalis. f. The Testis. FIGURE II. Represents the Female Worm opened. Where a. Shews the Mouth. b. The Gullet. c c c. The Intestine, or Gut. d d d d. The Vagina Uteri. e. The two Cornua Uteri. f f f f. The Spermatick Vessels. g. The Anus. FIG. FIGURE III. Represents the Genital parts of the Female explicated. Where a. Shews the Pudendum or Foramen as it appears on the outside of the Skin. b. The Vagina Uteri. c. The two Cornua Uteri. d. The Spermatick Vessels. FIGURE IV. Represents the Egg: of this Worm, as they appeared being viewed by the Microscope. Y A remark-