Anatomy, Physiology and Behaviour (v. 1) (Leech Biology and Behaviour) - Tapa dura

This three-volume work provides a complete study of leeches, dealing with every level of their biological organization, from the molecular to the zoogeographical. The leech, prominent in the history of medicine, is again being widely used in modern hospitals, especially in microsurgery. Revival in the use of leeches coincides with recent discoveries of a rich diversity of pharmacologically active peptides secreted by the leech, including hirudin, a powerful anticoagulant. The author, who has studied leeches extensively for many years, documents for the first time the scientific and biological rationale behind their use and concludes that leeches were not entirely misused in previous centuries. In recent years the leech has been the subject of much neurobiological research, but which has tended to emphasize the neurophysiological aspects. This book gives an authoritative account from a biological viewpoint, with emphasis on the neuronal basis and the evolution of leech behaviour. The author takes up Manton's controversial thesis that insects, myriapods, and onychophorans constitute a new phylum (Uniramia) unrelated to the crustacea. Readership: research workers and students in medicine, molecular biology, neurobiology, zoology, marine biology, and other disciplines.