Entomology

ENTOMOLOGY (from the Greek entomon-insect and logos-science), the science that studies insects. Several decades ago, E. encompassed the study of all arthropods (Arthropoda), but then specialized exclusively in insects (Insecta). The scope of E. as a science is very large, since insects dominate in number of species over all other animals. Thus, out of the total number of 675,000 species of arthropods, there are 625,000 species of insects. At the same time, the fauna of insects is far from being fully studied. Insects are widely distributed and are known for the beauty of their appearance, their enormous harmfulness, or conversely, their usefulness. E. as a science dates back to the 17th century, when the use of magnifying instruments made it possible to begin studying the structure and metamorphosis of insects. Malpighi and Swammerdam were the founders of this direction of scientific research. Swammerdam left a classic work "Biblia naturae", most of which is devoted to insects. The further development of E. was ensured by Réaumur in France, Rosel von Rosenhof in Germany, and de Geer in Sweden. Straus-Durkheim applied the principle of comparative-anatomical study of insects. This direction was particularly strongly developed in the following century by L. Dufour. Systematic study of insects and the study of their fauna in different places reached even greater development. Due to the enormous practical significance of insects, the study of insect ecology became a powerful branch of E., which in turn is closely related to the anatomical-physiological research of these organisms. The discovery of a significant number of fossil remains of insects (imprints, insects in amber) provided material for the development of paleoentomology, which reveals the phylogenetic relationships of various groups of insects. E. is usually divided into theoretical and applied E. Theoretical E. studies insects "as such", while applied E. deals with species that have one or another practical significance and serve as objects of control, or conversely, breeding. Such a division of E. is conditional, since the significance of many species of insects is not yet known. Depending on the nature of the benefit or harm caused by insects, specialties are differentiated in E.: agricultural E. deals with insects that are beneficial or harmful in agriculture, veterinary E. focuses on pests of livestock; finally, medical E. studies pests of human health (poisonous insects, parasites, carriers of infections and invasions, etc.).-Due to the theoretical and practical importance of E., this science is taught as a separate discipline or even a series of separate subjects in agricultural higher educational institutions and at biology faculties. In veterinary institutes, E. is part of parasitology. Scientific research in the field of E. is provided by the Zoological Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, in the academies of other Soviet republics, in the departments of zoology and E. of universities, agricultural higher educational institutions, in the Military Medical Academy, etc. A number of research institutes (VIE, tropical institutes, sanitary-bacteriological institute), tropical stations, anti-plague institutions also to varying degrees deal with entomological problems. Scientific research in the field of plant protection from insect pests is headed by the Higher Institute of Plant Protection in the system of the Lenin Agricultural Academy. Finally, it should be noted that there are many entomological societies, some of which are the oldest scientific societies. In the USSR, the All-Russian Entomological Society has been operating for 75 years (in Leningrad). Medical E. in the USSR received powerful development after the revolution. Among pre-revolutionary entomologists, much attention to these questions was given by Prof. Kholodkovsky, Porchinsky, and others. At present, the issues related to the spread of infectious and parasitic diseases of humans by insects (lice and typhus, fleas and plague, Anopheles and malaria, mosquitoes, flies and bacterial diseases) are being particularly energetically developed in the USSR. Lit.-in addition to the one mentioned in the article Insects: Pests of livestock, collection edited by E. Pavlovsky, L., 1935; Pavlovsky V., Course of human parasitology, M., 1934; Berlese, Gli insetti, Milano, 1909; Metcalf C. a. Flint W., Destructive and useful insects, their habits and control, N. Y., 1928; Weber H., Lehrbuch der Entomologie, Jena, 1933; Zacker F., Die Vorrats-, Speicher- u. Malarialschädigungen, B., 1927. Periodical publications.-Medical Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, M., since 1932; Parasitological Collection, Published by the Zoological Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, L., since 1930.