“Each day 20 tons of dog droppings are picked up from the streets and sidewalks of [European City H]. . . . In addition to the cost and nuisance, a more serious factor has come to light. Dog waste is the source of a disease caused by the parasite Toxocara canis. Half the children’s play areas and sandboxes of [the city] were found to be contaminated with the highly resistant microscopic eggs of the parasite, which enter homes on the soles of shoes and on the paws of household pets. . . . Fatigue, abdominal pain, allergies, heart and arterial problems are early symptoms of the disease.”

City H is identified by the French weekly magazine L’Express as Paris, which, according to The New Encyclopædia Britannica, “for hundreds and hundreds of years, by a process never successfully explained, . . . has radiated an enchantment irresistible to millions around the world.” In the face of serious problems, however, some of the enchantment of “Gay Paree” has faded.