Control of animal parasites : general principles and their application / by Maurice C. Hall.

  • Hall, Maurice C. (Maurice Crowther), 1881-1938.
Date:
[1936], ©1936
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Control of animal parasites : general principles and their application / by Maurice C. Hall. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Preface In this volume the subject of parasite control is presented on the basis of a series of diagrams and analyses of these diagrams in terms of military science. The diagrams present in visual form the factors in our problems of control, covering the life histories of parasites as lines of communication between infested hosts and susceptible host animals, together with a representation of weapons available for direct attack on the parasite in or on its host animal and- for cutting the lines of communication between infested and susceptible host animals. This visual presentation is compact to an extent not readily attained otherwise. The con- trol of parasites is treated as a form of warfare, and a body of formulated military principles has been used in this book in analyzing our control problems. This procedure, while novel, proves to be extremely useful, and the writer, with 30 years’ ex- perience in parasitology, has found that this method of dealing with parasite problems develops the facts in a situation, indicates the strength and weakness of our position, and shows what should be done much better than do the casual methods of attacking prob- lems with which he is familiar and which are customarily em- ployed. Parasitology is both a pure and applied science. It is precisely at the point of application of the findings of pure science to para- site control that we encounter special difficulties, and it is at this point that the methodology used in this booklet is of value. Ex- perience shows that the laboratory scientist is not always a good field marshal, and that he lacks in many cases the basic knowledge of topography, climatology, farm practice and other things essen- tial in translating laboratory findings into control measures for parasites. The practicing veterinarian and physician are usually weak in regard to the body of knowledge developed in the labora- tory. In all cases the lack of knowledge probably results in the waste of large sums of money on campaigns which could be