12 



possible for man to adjust himself more 

 successfully to his environment. It has freed 

 him from many superstitions (Fig. 3) and 

 fears by explaining, one by one, the mys- 

 teries that had held him in bondage for 

 many centuries. Studies of living things have 

 revealed the ever changing nature of the 

 vvodd of life and have furnished a simple 

 explanation, namely, organic evolution, that 

 has revolutionized modern thought. A stu- 



Figure 3. West Africa medicine man and as- 

 sistants. One of his superstitious treatments is to 

 take the fin of a fish, the tail of a rat, the head 

 of a snake, and the foot of a fowl; tie them to- 

 gether in a bundle; place the bundle beneath the 

 nose of a patient and ask him to inhale deeply; his 

 headache is supposed to disappear. 



dent of zoology (1) learns about himself 

 through the study of animals; (2) learns the 

 scientific method, which will effectively as- 

 sist him throughout his entire life no mat- 

 ter in what field his labors fall; and (3) 

 gains an esthetic appreciation of nature that 

 can be acquired in no other way. 



Value of zoology 



The practical value of zoology can hardly 

 be overestimated. Zoology and botany form 



COLLEGE ZOOLOGY 



the basis of medicine, dentistry, veterinary 

 medicme, medical technology, nursing, op- 

 tometry, medical dietetics, museum work, 

 zoological teaching, zoological research, agri- 

 culture, and conservation. Biological studies 

 are responsible for our pure water, pure food, 

 balanced diet, and protection against animal 

 parasites and disease agents. Recently ac- 

 quired knowledge of heredity has revolu- 

 tionized plant and animal breeding and has 

 had some effect on that of human beings. 

 What were once considered to be inexhausti- 

 ble resources in this country have for some 

 years been in need of conservation. Only 

 with the aid of a broad knowledge of biol- 

 ogy can our conservation program be carried 

 out successfully. 



A state approaching equilibrium exists on 

 the earth with respect to the association of 

 plants and animals. In this world of living 

 organisms, a terrific struggle for space and 

 food is continually going on, and the situa- 

 tion that results is extremely complex. Part 

 of this struggle involves human beings. Man 

 is associated with other animals in many 

 ways; some are of value to him, others arc 

 of no particular use, and a few are decidedly 

 harmful. 



Use of animals for scientific research 



Lower animals are largely used for scien- 

 tific research, and much that is learned in 

 this way can be translated more or less di- 

 rectly into human terms. Thus a large part 

 of what we know about heredity has been 

 learned from the study of fruit flies, and 

 most of the work on vitamins has been done 

 with rats. Experiments on animals have 

 given us much of our knowledge of physio- 

 logic processes and have enabled us to de- 

 velop effective methods of surgery. Drugs 

 are first tested on animals before being used 

 for human treatment, and many new drugs 

 have been discovered as a result of animal 

 experimentation. Millions of diabetics are 

 alive today because of the experimental 

 work which sacrificed the lives of only about 

 30 dogs. The lower animals also benefit 



