HELMINTHOLOGY IN RELATION TO VETERINARY
                                                SCIENCE

                                                    BY

                                HAR DAYAL SRIVASTAVA, M.Sc.

                                   Officiating Helminthologist,

                   Imperial Veterinary Research Institute, Mukteswar.
                     (Received for publication on 7th October 1937)

THE study of parasitic worms is technically known as Helminthology.
Veterinary helminthology aims at the conservation of public and animal health.
For a long time stockowners sincerely questioned the importance of worms and
denied that they ever did any appreciable damage. They were inclined to
attribute the losses due to worms to other causes as the common symptoms of
helminthiasis—a prolonged and progressive afebrile unthriftiness gradually
resulting in death—are not always as spectacular as are those of bacterial or
virus infections. This lack of appreciation of the magnitude of the subject
has been probably due to the fact that at times apparently healthy animals
harbour an appreciable number of one or more species of worms. Helmin-
thiasis, in common with other forms of parasitism, is a balanced relationship
between the parasites and the hosts ; and so long as the balance is maintained,
no appreciable damage is apparent. When, however, on account of faulty
nutrition, ingestion of poisonous substances, bacterial or virus infections or
other causes, the vitality of the host is impaired, this balance is disturbed, with
the consequence that the parasite gets the upper hand and it becomes increas-
ingly difficult for the host to resist successfully the parasitic, bacterial or
virus infections.

In recent years, there has been a gradual realization of the fact that, in a
tropical country like India where animal hygiene is little developed, helmin-
thiasis is a most serious menace to the health of livestock. Though the effects
of helminths on their hosts may not always be sufficiently pronounced to
attract immediate attention, they are responsible for enormous losses resulting
from poor health and decreased resistance to diseases. Referring to the loss
due to helminths, Cameron in 1932 remarked, "We are certainly underestimat-
ing the situation if we say that over ten million pounds are lost to this country
(England) yearly through the agency of helminths. This estimate is based on
the present low price of stock ". Le Roux in 1930 pointed out that, in the
Union of South Africa, thousands of animals died annually as a result of worm
infestations. The worms alone contributed much towards swelling the ranks
of the poor and towards driving men off the land. At several places the hel-
minths rendered the profitable running of sheep as a side-line a practical

* Presented to the Section of Veterinary Research of the Indian Science Congress
1938, Calcutta.

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