| AdminHistory | The Worms Section (sometimes called the Vermes Section) originated in 1913, when Harold Arnold Baylis (1889-1972) was appointed to take charge of the group. Baylis had studied zoology at Oxford University, and came to the Museum hoping to work in the Bird Room. However, on the strength of his work at the Naples Marine Laboratory, he was put to work on invertebrates. He soon began to specialise in the nematodes, and in 1922 the Worms Section was divided into Parasitic Worms (Baylis) and Annelida - Chaetopoda (C C M Munro). Baylis published 228 papers and books on parasitic worms during his 37 years at the Museum, including 'A Synopsisof the Families and Genera of Nematodes' (1926) with R Daubney.
Stephen Prudhoe (1911-1992) joined the Museum in 1930, and became Baylis' assistant in 1932. He specialised in trematodes and marine turbellarians. When Baylis retired in 1949, Prudhoe effectively took over the Section. Responsibility for the group was divided from 1955 until 1968, during which time William Grant Inglis (1928-1991) was in charge of the Nemathelminthes (later called Aschelminthes) or round worms, and Prudhoe concentrated on the Platyhelminthes and Nemertines. In 1968 the two sections were reunited, with Prudhoe once again in charge until his retirement in 1976.
References:
Inglis, W Grant, 1989. Harold Arnold Baylis (1889-1972). International Journal for Parasitology19(7): 701-703.
Gibson, D I, 1991. William Grant Inglis, 1928-1991. Ibid 21(8): 875-876.
Bray, R A, 1992. Stephen Prudhoe, 1911-1992. Ibid 22(8): 1043-1045. |