THE ROLE OF THE ZOOLOGIST IN THE FIELD OF APPLIED BIOLOGY

Abstract

The subject I have selected for this evening's discourse is already known to you and I dare say most of you have a copy of a rough abstract of my paper. My idea in selecting this theme is to present a very brief survey of the more important lines of work in which the Zoologist has contributed so. far to the progress of Applied Biology and indicate what his future functions might be; as a student of Zoology myself, and this being our inaugural gathering I thought such a subject may not be inappropriate on this occasion and not stale, at least, to those among us who are not Zoologists and to whom such a paper on the general economic aspects of a sister science may appeal. Though the study of Zoology was in existence as early as the fourth or the fifth century B. c. the progress of this science was greatly influenced by various world movements. From the decline of the Greek Civilisation on through the Roman and early Christian epochs-which may be called the 'Dark Ages' for the natural sciences, very little progress was made not only in Zoology but in the allied sciences as well. In the 16th Century a revival began, when bold natural philosophers like Vesalius, Bacon and Harvey broke away from the bonds of political and ecclesiastical authority and assert- ed their views and the results of their observations. Since then zoo- logical studies made rapid progress and in the succeeding centuries. remarkable researches and revolutionary discoveries were made by such eminent and well known scientists as Linnacus, Cuvier, Von Baeer, Lamarck, Darwin and Wallace-to mention only a few of the galaxy of Inaugural address to the Association of Economic Biologists, Coimbatore (20th June 1930).