Intestinal Parasites in the Central Jail, Rajahmundry

The stools of 2,290 convicts in this jail were examined with the microscope during the eleven months from October 1914 to August 1915, and the results obtained may be considered of some value. They show that there is a considerable proportion of infection by intestinal parasites of the free population of the districts from which our prisoners come. 71*30 per cent, of the convicts whose faeces were examined harboured parasites of some kind. Multiple infection, where the existence of more than one kind of parasite was demonstrable in individual stools, being fairly common : 276 double. 35 triple and 5 quadruple infections were noted. Of the parasites detected G'92 per cent, were protozoa and the rest helminths (nematoda and cestoda). Xo doubt the actual infection is much higher,