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#horrible diseases – @biomedicalephemera on Tumblr
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Biomedical Ephemera, or: A Frog for Your Boils

@biomedicalephemera / biomedicalephemera.tumblr.com

A blog for all biological and medical ephemera, from the age of Abraham through the era of medical quackery and cure-all nostrums. Featuring illustrations, history, and totally useless trivia from the diverse realms of nature and medicine. Buy me a coffee so I can stay up and keep the lights on around here!
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Bilharziosis Roundworm -Schistosomum haematobium

For all the awful things bilharziosis (or schistosomiasis, depending on your region of the world) does, their reproduction is almost endearing. The female is a "normal", worm-like shape, but the male is shaped almost like a boat or trough. Once the nematodes reach adulthood, they seek out another of their kind (as they can only reproduce sexually), and pair up. Once paired up, the female nestles into the trough of the male, and the male takes over feeding for both of them. Though they never fully merge (like the anglerfish male does with the female), they can remain together for years, with the female producing their eggs, and the male feeding them both. It's almost cute.

Bilharziosis. Frank Cole Madden, 1907.

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