Lambliasis as a Cause of Chronic Enteritis

Intestinal infections due to the flagellate, lamblia intestinalis, attracted attention in England in. the early years of the war when the disease first reaclhed this country from the Eastern fronts. Since 1916, with the exception of Clifford Dobell's report(l), hardly any furt-her reference to the disease has been made in English me(lical literature. I can find no clinical study of the infection published in this country though many papers vi' the subject have atppeared in America. This paper is based upon the study of 23 children infected with lamblii an(l has been largely written without previous reference to the publications of other observers. The conclusions reached are (1) that the infection is now by no means a rarity in hospital practice amongst children; (2) that it produces a chronic enteritis; (3) that the resultant diarrhoea is often severe enough to cause the subjects of the disease to be considerably below their proper weight, and occasionally will produce retarded development anti diminution of growth, suggesting that in lambliasis we have a further possible cause of infantilism of the enteritic type; (4) that even in children true " carriers " may be found, infected with lamblia, but without symptoms.