Studies on specific oculo-vascular myiasis of domestic animals (uitpeuloog) : I. Historical Review

Abstract

A characteristic of the Afrikaans language is its facile descriptive potential. This has enabled South African farmers to coin most apt and descriptive names for several diseases not necessarily confined to Southern Africa, e.g. the name lamsiekte (literally translated as lame disease) is far more apt than botulism for the condition caused by the toxin of Clostridium botulinum type C and D and is in general use in the literature today; knopvelsiekte which has been freely translated as lumpy skin disease; bewerasiesiekte (literally trembling disease) for epidemic tremor of poultry ; and geeldikkop (yellow thick head) for the well-known photosensitivity syndrome in sheep are further examples. In the present instance South African farmers have coined the name "uitpeuloog" (literally bulging or protruding eye). This name, the pronunciation of which may occasion some difficulty to the unaccustomed tongue, is far more apt than the English synonym "bulging eye disease" for the condition which is to be described and of which protrusion of the eye-ball was at one time believed to be the sole pathognomonic symptom. An additional synonym is blue wildebeest eye (blouwildebeesoog), a term frequently used by farmers because of their association of the disease with wildebeest (Gorgon taurinus taurinus) which in the region concerned, are largely migratory. It will be shown that the disease is caused by the invasion of an aberrant host by larvae of one of the Oestridae and, therefore, the name specific oculo-vascular myiasis is suggested for the disease commonly called uitpeuloog. Later it will be seen that a more fully descriptive name would be oculo-vascular-neuro myiasis but it is felt that this is unnecessarily clumsy.