Diagnosis and treatment of the invasion of internal parasites in the light of Roman agronomic and veterinary texts

Abstract

Internal parasites were a serious problem for breeders in ancient Rome. Invasions caused significant material losses due to their negative impact on the condition of animals, weight gain or milkability. The authors of agronomic and veterinary texts referred to them by the names hirudines - leeches, lumbrici - intestinal roundworms or vermes - worms, but it is difficult to determine whether the names were assigned to specific species of parasites. There are many indications that the names lumbrici or vermes were sometimes used interchangeably. Symptoms, formulas of drugs and methods of dealing with infected endoparasites of animals primarily concerned horses and cattle, unlike exoparasites which are mostly diagnosed and treated in sheep, cattle and then horses. Medicines were prepared on the basis of, among others, plants, oil, vinegar or lye. Formulas had been refined by the ancient Romans for several centuries and their effectiveness, in lighter cases, has been confirmed by modern researchers.