Principles and Methods of Plant Biosystematics

نویسنده

  • Arthur W. Galston
چکیده

Failure is the word that best describes human effort to master schistosomiasis. In 1000 B.C. schistosomes infected man, proof being recovery of calcified ova from dated Egyptian mummies. Earlier by a thousand years, vesical schistosomiasis was prevalent, to judge from references to hematuria by the local medical profession. By A.D. 1969 the world incidence of schistosomiasis was at least 150 millions. Three to four thousand. years of work by the medical and public health; professions produced this most unimpressive result. Complacency in regard to the "control of communicable diseases" is widespread, but it should be realized that the medical and allied professions are presently incapable of dealing effectively with a large number of infectious diseases. Schistosomiasis, with its documented millenial history and composite of social and scientific difficulties which impede progress, provides a particularly rich case history of an unsolved problem. The present book is a highly condensed survey of present knowledge, said to be intended for "the man in the field." Accordingly it is strong in breadth. The wide representation of viewpoints and findings and the description of the complexities of the control problem are of special value. The section on chemotherapy enumerates the compounds now available, the variable results obtained, suggests reasons for these variations and cites associated dangers. Apparently the authors do not consider that there is any one best drug, and the interested reader will have to consult elsewhere. There is an interesting section on the concept of "suppressive management" with potassium antimony dimercaptosuccinate (Astiban). This involves a period of monthly spacing of injections during which the patient is improved, possibly cured, toxic reactions reduced and transmission interrupted. Niridazole (Ambilhar) is considered a great advance in the therapy of Schistosoma haematobium; local physicians will be interested that, "In the treatment of S. mansoni, acute confusional states and epileptic form attacks have been reported in adults in most trials." Related doses and incidence rates are not given. Cancer of the bladder associated with S. haematobium infection of the same organ is observed in abnormally high incidence in Egypt. Whether the relationship is causal has been undecided for about 60 years. It still is, and the reports of lack of correlation in other areas of Africa suggest that multiple factors may play a part in Egypt. Speculations concerning chemical carcinogens in the helminths or in patients are mentioned, no experimental work dealing with the problem is cited. In summary, the book does well what it sets out to do: review succinctly the literature on the subject. Those who need more will have to look elsewhere, which they can do with the aid of the extensive bibliographies. DAVID WEINMAN

برای دانلود رایگان متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

منابع مشابه

Biosystematics and phylogeny of Tanacetum fisherae, a new record from Iran

The chromosome number (2n=5x=44+1B) of Tanacetum fisherae, as a new record from high mountains of southern Iran (Kerman province: Hazar mountain) is reported. A new ploidy level (pentaploidy) for the genus is presented for the first time. The studied population was aneuploid, having lost one chromosome out of the 45 expected in an x=9-based pentaploid. The distribution map, description and micr...

متن کامل

Evaluation of effectiveness of some mitochondrial genes in biosystematics and phylogeographic studies of house mouse (Mus musculus ) subspecies

The identification of the efficiency of some mtDNA genes of Mus musculus species complex (house mouse) for biosystematics research was studied in this approach. Recent studies have made use of different mitochondrial genes including NADH dehydrogenase genes, cytochrome b gene, cytochrome oxidase genes, D-loop region and whole mtDNA genome to study the house mouse species. Usage of each of these...

متن کامل

Plant-parasitic nematodes associated with maize and pearl millet in Namibia

1 Laboratory of Tropical Crop Improvement, Catholic University of Leuven, K Mercierlaan 92, 3001 Hever/ee, Belgium 2ARC Grain Crops Institute, Private Bag X1251, Potchefstroom, 2520 South Africa 3Department of Nematology, Agricultural Research Organisation, The Volcani Centre, Bel Dagan, Israel 4National Col/ection of Nematodes, Biosystematics Division, ARC Plant Protection Research Institute, ...

متن کامل

Transcriptomes of Eight Arabidopsis thaliana Accessions Reveal Core Conserved, Genotype- and Organ-Specific Responses to Flooding Stress1[OPEN]

Plant Ecophysiology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands (H.v.V., D.V., E.R., S.H., M.K., J.B.-S., L.A.C.J.V., R.S.); Institute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, 56127 Pisa, Italy (H.v.V.); Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, 1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands (M.A., P.v.T.); Center for Plan...

متن کامل

Optimization of Control System of Petroleum Refinery Isomerization Unit by Plant-Wide Control Principles

Industrial process control system due to integration of equipment, existing material and energy recycle streams and their effects are extraordinary importance. The process in terms of safety, product quality and control stability have a challenge when there was defects in a process control system. The isomerization process is gaining importance in the presence of refining context due to upgradi...

متن کامل

Notes on two powdery mildew fungi (Erysiphe magnifica and E. corylacearum) from Iran

Two powdery mildew species have been collected from Iran. For the first time, Erysiphe magnifica on Magnolia sp. was identified from Iran based on morphological and molecular characteristics. Erysiphe corylacearum was collected for the second time in the country and reported for the first time from Guilan province. There are some polymorphisms in ITS-rDNA sequences of...

متن کامل

ذخیره در منابع من


  با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید

عنوان ژورنال:
  • The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine

دوره 43  شماره 

صفحات  -

تاریخ انتشار 1971