Experimental Ingestion of the Ova of Fasciolopsis buski; Also the Ingestion of Adult Fasciolopsis buski for the Purpose of Artificial Infestation

Claude Barlow: A History of Self-Experimentation

“…After each trematode ingestion and subsequent period of self-examination, he treated himself by mouth with carbon tetrachloride or beta naphthol to detach the trematodes from the wall of the small intestine, followed by magnesium sulfate as a purgative. He did not develop any symptoms during these experiments (Barlow, 1921).…”

“…During the next 3 months, while excreting thousands of ova per day, he meticulously documented his fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and weight loss before treating and curing himself a final time. These experiments (Barlow, 1923) were the basis of his Doctor of Science degree from Johns Hopkins University in 1929.…”

“…This intestinal trematode was endemic in the lowlands of the delta, and estimates of prevalence in 1908 were as high as 71.5% (Sweet, 1921). The adult trematodes were typically between 1.5 and 1.8 cm long, and the intestinal parasite load could be immense (Barlow, 1923). Death after massive abdominal distension, protein-losing enteropathy, malnutrition, and intercurrent illness was common, especially in children.…”