Worms in the nose – Thomas Morris http://www.thomas-morris.

uk/worms-in-the-nose/

Thomas  Morris
Making  you  grateful  for  modern  medicine

Worms in the nose

In 1783 the Medical Commentaries received a striking communication on a cu-

rious subject: worms in the nose.  It came from a surgeon based in Jamaica, Mr
Thomas Kilgour: 

A Gentleman of Montego-bay in Jamaica, aged twenty-six, of a middle stature,

and robust make, about the middle of July 1777, complained for three days, of a
slight obtuse pain, in his right upper jaw-bone, root of the nose, eye, and forehead
of the same side.

On the fourth day this became unbearable, with shooting pains through his
teeth and the entire right side of his face.

He applied next morning to an assistant of Mr Thomas Brown, an expert surgeon

in this place, to extract the tooth, in which he felt the greatest uneasiness, imagin-
ing his complaints originated from it. The tooth was perfectly sound, and its ex-
traction was attended with no alleviation of the pain. At night he took an opiate,
but it afforded no relief. I was desired to visit him next day. He then felt inexpress-
ible agony and distress. The eye and right side of the face were much inflamed,
but little swelled. From the right nostril there distilled, in large drops, a thin dark
coloured ichor, of a very offensive smell; similar to the discharge from a carious
bone, but more disagreeable.

1 di 6 31/05/21, 13:38
Worms in the nose – Thomas Morris http://www.thomas-morris.uk/worms-in-the-nose/

‘Ichor’ is an archaic term referring to a thin watery or blood-tinged discharge.

Mr Kilgour examined the nostril but could see no ulcer or other source of this
liquid. He concluded that there must be some infection in the sinuses, and that
it was finding its way out of the body via the nose.

The case being alarming, and the fever considerable, we called for the assistance
of Dr Murray, who readily agreeing to our opinion of a collection of matter being
formed in the maxillary cavity, a perforation was made into it, through the socket
from which the tooth was extracted. But no discharge of matter followed the per-
foration, nor did the pain in the least abate. On the contrary, it continued to in-
crease more and more at the root of the nose; and, about an hour after the opera-
tion, there were voided from the right nostril, two insects, in appearance like the
maggots formed in putrid meat.

Blimey.

On placing the patient in the light, a vast number were perceived in motion at the
upper part of the nostril. I introduced a forceps, and took out three or four at a
time; and, in the course of that day, upwards of thirty. They were in general three-
fourths of an inch long, and one-eight thick, composed of rings, suddenly tapering
towards the tail, and had a large brownish head. In extracting, they made a
strong resistance with what served them instead of feet, and gave a sensation to
my hand like a file drawn across a soft body. When taken out, they were very
lively, and crawled about in the open air a long time before they died.

The surgeons conferred, and came to the conclusion that the maggots had been
laid in a fresh ulcer caused by gonorrhoea, from which the patient suffered.
They began to treat him with mercury, which was thought to be toxic to insects.
Two mercury compounds were used: one as an oral medicine, the other pow-
dered and blown into his nostrils.

Having a particular regard for the patient, I staid several hours with him, and
was much disappointed in finding neither the fumigation nor injection to have the
smallest effect in mitigating the pain, or destroying the insects. I therefore set
about some experiments to find out a remedy capable of killing them, and hap-
pily, in a little time, discovered one that proved successful; but previous to this at-
tempt, that the mercurial solution might have the fullest justice done it, I put a
few of the insects into it, and found them at the end of an hour as lively as ever; a
clear proof they were not of a species to be affected by oils or mercury.

2 di 6 31/05/21, 13:38
Worms in the nose – Thomas Morris http://www.thomas-morris.uk/worms-in-the-nose/

Disappointed by this failure, Mr Kilgour attempted a little experiment.

The trials I made upon them were as follow; I took five wine-glasses; into each
glass 1 put two of the maggots; into one glass, I poured a strong decoction of
chamomile and wormwood; into another, vinous tincture of opium; into the third,
rum; into the fourth, I blew tobacco-smoke; and into the last, I poured a decoction
of tobacco.

‘Decoction’ is a method of preparation which involves mashing and then boil-

ing a substance to extract its essential oils and other chemicals. 

The bitter decoction gave them no disturbance. The tincture of opium, at its first
application, threw them into violent motion; but in a short time they recovered
and moved about at their ease. The rum killed them in about ten minutes. The
tobacco-smoke, in a few blowings, shrivelled them to death; and the tobacco-
decoction instantly convulsed and destroyed them.

Next day, by consent of Dr Murray and Mr Brown, the tobacco-decoction was in-
jected into the nostril, and the fumigation and mercurial injection laid aside… At
first the tobacco-decoction gave a good deal of pain ; but, in a little time, it be-
came pleasant and agreeable, sensibly correcting the foetor, and bringing away
the insects in great numbers, and in a very weakly state. After using it a few days,
seldom more than half-a-dozen a-day were voided, and these frequently dead.

The numbers involved were amazing: Mr Kilgour estimated that more than 200
maggots were removed from his nose in all. 

At length, after a course of ten days, numbers being extracted by the forceps, and
falling out of themselves, sometimes dead, sometimes alive, a white transparent
substance, near two inches long, and a quarter of an inch broad and flat, with
three large insects in it, was brought out by the forceps, upon which the pain
greatly abated, and from that time the insects disappeared. In a few days more
the abrasions of the membrana Schneideriana [the lining of the sinus cavity]
were healed up, and before the middle of August, the patient was able to go to the
mountains to recover his strength.

It would be interesting to know what the mysterious ‘white transparent sub-

stance’ was. Mr Kilgour noted that the patient had long suffered from nose-
bleeds, and wondered whether it was the debris of an old haemorrhage which

3 di 6 31/05/21, 13:38
Worms in the nose – Thomas Morris http://www.thomas-morris.uk/worms-in-the-nose/

had solidified around some structure in  the sinus. This sounds implausible;
but what do I know?

RELATED

Odds bodkins A fatal nose job An extraordinary quantity

13th December 2018 23rd September 2015 of worms
In "Horrifying operations" In "Horrifying operations" 24th April 2018
In "Mysterious illnesses"

 18th  April  2016  Thomas  Morris  Mysterious  illnesses,  Unfortunate  predicaments

9 thoughts on “Worms in the nose”

Stephanie O
26th  April  2016  at  1:03  pm

Fascinating and repugnant. It’s amazing what the human body can host, and
equally remarkable in its endurance and capacity to heal.

I’m grateful to live in the 21st century with its miracle drugs and medical pro-
cedures, but have to tip my hat to those intrepid physicians from centuries past
who tried to heal with crude instruments and applications. Their “process of
elimination” methods were often gruesome, but we’re where we are today by
their shrewd observations and experiments.

Worms … ugh. No ramen noodles for me today!

Pingback: Whewell’s Gazette: Year 2, Vol. #37 | Whewell's Ghost

Carole
3rd  August  2018  at  1:17  am

A friend of mine has pulled “worms” from her nose and one from and infected

4 di 6 31/05/21, 13:38
Worms in the nose – Thomas Morris http://www.thomas-morris.uk/worms-in-the-nose/

tooth.
Not sure what they looked like but she did call them maggots but also insists
they were hook worms.
All this came about after a root canal that did not go too weel.

Thomas Morris 
8th  August  2018  at  3:29  pm

Yeuch! I’m no expert, but this sounds like an Ascariasis infection – it’s a para-
sitic worm that migrates from the airways to the digestive tract via the back
of the throat.

Stephanie Morse
16th  March  2019  at  8:47  pm

I’ve been pulling out creatures for a while now. Nobody seems to believe me,
well not my “close friends”, about the creatures. They say I’m imagining things.
They are more concerned about getting in trouble that they know about it, than
wanting to help. Guessing I should get to an ENT! THANK YOU FOR YOUR
ARTICLE.

Liza
14th  December  2019  at  9:31  pm

I have these. Qtips pull them out. I started taking albendezole, the version
made for sheep & goats because my doc did not believe it possible anyone in
the U.S. would have lung & sinus parasites. The albendazole is working. I’m
sure many people have these, but are told it’s “allergies” or “a cold” or “your
imagination.” Lose the high carb stuff, intermittent fast, eat bitter stuff & add
black cumin seed oil & stevia to nasal rinse to bust up the biofilm in which
these hide from immune agents, & get some wormer, do hot and ice cold jets
of shower water, alternating, on forehead & face, when showering…all seems
to induce them to detach & be expelled. Bless you!

Sheila
9th  April  2021  at  7:12  am

5 di 6 31/05/21, 13:38
Worms in the nose – Thomas Morris http://www.thomas-morris.uk/worms-in-the-nose/

Reader from the previous response. Do you still have these and what are
you currently doing to get them out?
Email me please ubersheila150@gmail.com

sue
1st  May  2021  at  5:58  pm

did u get a reply? i wonder what wormer he used.. i am sure i have mag-
gots in my sinuses after 3-4 years of sinusitis..one came out and i expect
there are more..

Pingback: 200 Maggots Deep Within A Patient's Nose

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is
processed.

Proudly powered by WordPress

6 di 6 31/05/21, 13:38