The Animal Parasites of ManFantham, Harold Benjamin
Science
The Animal Parasites of Man
Fantham, Harold Benjamin
Medical parasitology
Leuckart therefore regards the change of hosts as secondary, so does
Sabatier. The latter, however, adduces other reasons for this (lack of
clinging organs and the necessity to develop them in an intermediary
stage); but in this connection he only considers the Cestoda. In
opposition to Leuckart, R. Moniez, however, is convinced that the
migrations of the helminthes, as well as the system of intermediate
hosts, represent the original order of things. Moniez traces all
Entozoa from saprophytes, but only a few of these were able to settle
directly in the intestine and there continue their development. These
are forms that at the present day still lack an intermediate host,
such as _Trichocephalus_, _Ascaris_, and _Oxyuris_. In most other
cases the embryos, however, consisted of such saprophytes as were, in
other respects, suitable to become parasites, but were incapable of
resisting the mechanical and chemical influences of the intestinal
contents. They were therefore obliged to leave the intestine at once,
and accomplished this by penetrating the intestinal walls and burrowing
in the tissues of their carriers. In this position, assisted by the
favourable conditions of nutrition, they could attain a relatively high
degree of development. Mechanical reasons prevented a return to the
intestines, where the eggs could be deposited. Most of them doubtless
died off as parasites, as also their young stages do at present when
they penetrate wrong hosts. Some of them, nevertheless, passively
reached the intestine of beasts of prey. Many were destroyed in the
process of mastication; for a small part, however, there was the
chance of reaching the intestine of a beast of prey undamaged, and
there, having become larger and more capable of resistance, maturity
was attained. By means of this incidental coincidence of various
favourable circumstances, these processes, according to Moniez, have
been established by heredity and have become normal.
This is not the place to express an opinion either for or against the
various hypotheses advanced, but the existence of these diametrically
opposed views alone will show the great difficulty of the question.
Independently, however, it appears more natural to come to the
conclusion that parasitism, as well as change of hosts, were gradual
transitions.
As a conclusion to this introductory chapter, a list of some of the
most important works on the parasitology of man and animals is appended.
LITERATURE.
GOEZE, J. A. E. Versuch einer Naturgeschichte der Eingeweidewürmer
thierischer Körper. Blankenburg, 1782. 4to, 471 pp., with 44 plates.
ZEDER, J. G. H. Erster Nachtrag zur Naturgeschichte der
Eingeweidewürmer. von J. A. E. Goeze. Leipzig, 1800. 4to, with 6
tables.
RUDOLPHI, C. A. Entozoorum sive vermium intestinalium historia
naturalis. I, Amstelod., 1808; ii, 1809. 8vo, with 18 plates.
RUDOLPHI, C. A. Entozoorum synopsis. Berol., 1819. 8vo, with 3 plates.
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