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History of veterinary parasitology: A glorious past
Veterinary Parasitology, 33 (1989) 1-2 Elsevier SciencePublishers B.V., Amsterdam-- Printed in The Netherlands
Editorial
History of Veterinary Parasitology: A Glorious Past S.M. GAAFAR Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (U.S.A.) Most of us working in the field of veterinary parasitology are quite proud of what we are doing and are aware of the importance of the discipline to the welfare of mankind in general and to the agriculture industry in particular. We are vaguely aware that ours, like other medical and veterinary specialties, has passed through some very formative and difficult times in its history. It has, however, emerged with excellent accomplishments and successes of which we all should be truly cognizant. In every section of the world there has been some excellent work performed in this field by m a n y pioneering and brilliant scientists. Many of us become acquainted with the work of some of these scientists in our daily research and teaching endeavors, but we remain ignorant of the activity of most of them. Veterinary parasitology evolved slowly on the shoulders of these men and women in concert with those working in other disciplines. The spirit of mutualism was the prevailing characteristic among these people and they certainly benefited from that relationship. T h e y cooperated not only with other veterinary parasitologists, but also with many workers in biology, entomology, medicine, and agriculture as well as other specialists. We should therefore recognize that we are the guardians of the scientific torch which our "discipline ancestors" have ignited and passed to us. It is very unfortunate and quite lamentable that we are provincial in our scientific thinking. We know some of the history of our discipline in our own country because we like to, and some of the history of our small area of research in other countries because we have to. We seldom know, and constraints of time prevent us from reading about, the history of veterinary parasitology throughout the world. There have been some attempts by some individuals to document such history, but unfortunately most of t h e m have been heavily weighted in favor of the author's geographic area or country and sometimes even own interest. In this issue of Veterinary Parasitology, we are attempting to document the history of our discipline in North America and some of the countries in Europe. The articles are written by some of the most knowledgeable scientists in these countries. T h e y have had an interest in the history of veterinary parasitology and veterinary medicine for m a n y years. T h e y have done extensive research and a few of them have even lived part of that history. It is certainly a singular
pleasure for me as Chief Editor to have participated in this endeavor. The authors have admirably condensed the history of veterinary parasitology in their respective countries into a few easy-to-read pages; a task to be appreciated by most scientists. These concise and complete articles will hopefully become useful documents for future scientists who may be interested in history. Although this issue contains articles on the history of our profession in only five western countries, it is hoped that it will stimulate interest in other countries and encourage veterinary parasitologists to investigate and write about their local history. We look forward to publishing such articles periodically. They will add zest and a welcome change of pace for a reader who is always harried in the world of scientific reading of data. Let us hope that these history articles also provide a relaxing medicine and sometimes an explanation of why certain scientific facts were discovered in the order we know them now. Well researched and well written articles on the history of veterinary parasitology in countries or geographic areas of the world are solicited. They should be sent directly to the Editor. A few of them will hopefully be published annually and will be greatly appreciated.
Editorial
History of Veterinary Parasitology: A Glorious Past S.M. GAAFAR Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (U.S.A.) Most of us working in the field of veterinary parasitology are quite proud of what we are doing and are aware of the importance of the discipline to the welfare of mankind in general and to the agriculture industry in particular. We are vaguely aware that ours, like other medical and veterinary specialties, has passed through some very formative and difficult times in its history. It has, however, emerged with excellent accomplishments and successes of which we all should be truly cognizant. In every section of the world there has been some excellent work performed in this field by m a n y pioneering and brilliant scientists. Many of us become acquainted with the work of some of these scientists in our daily research and teaching endeavors, but we remain ignorant of the activity of most of them. Veterinary parasitology evolved slowly on the shoulders of these men and women in concert with those working in other disciplines. The spirit of mutualism was the prevailing characteristic among these people and they certainly benefited from that relationship. T h e y cooperated not only with other veterinary parasitologists, but also with many workers in biology, entomology, medicine, and agriculture as well as other specialists. We should therefore recognize that we are the guardians of the scientific torch which our "discipline ancestors" have ignited and passed to us. It is very unfortunate and quite lamentable that we are provincial in our scientific thinking. We know some of the history of our discipline in our own country because we like to, and some of the history of our small area of research in other countries because we have to. We seldom know, and constraints of time prevent us from reading about, the history of veterinary parasitology throughout the world. There have been some attempts by some individuals to document such history, but unfortunately most of t h e m have been heavily weighted in favor of the author's geographic area or country and sometimes even own interest. In this issue of Veterinary Parasitology, we are attempting to document the history of our discipline in North America and some of the countries in Europe. The articles are written by some of the most knowledgeable scientists in these countries. T h e y have had an interest in the history of veterinary parasitology and veterinary medicine for m a n y years. T h e y have done extensive research and a few of them have even lived part of that history. It is certainly a singular
pleasure for me as Chief Editor to have participated in this endeavor. The authors have admirably condensed the history of veterinary parasitology in their respective countries into a few easy-to-read pages; a task to be appreciated by most scientists. These concise and complete articles will hopefully become useful documents for future scientists who may be interested in history. Although this issue contains articles on the history of our profession in only five western countries, it is hoped that it will stimulate interest in other countries and encourage veterinary parasitologists to investigate and write about their local history. We look forward to publishing such articles periodically. They will add zest and a welcome change of pace for a reader who is always harried in the world of scientific reading of data. Let us hope that these history articles also provide a relaxing medicine and sometimes an explanation of why certain scientific facts were discovered in the order we know them now. Well researched and well written articles on the history of veterinary parasitology in countries or geographic areas of the world are solicited. They should be sent directly to the Editor. A few of them will hopefully be published annually and will be greatly appreciated.