Matt Baker <[log in to unmask]> writes:

> to dress fine rabbit.  When he pulled off the skin, there were tiny, tiny
> worms crawling around under the skin and on the muscle.  Husband then
> necropsied the eviscerated organs/guts to see what other/how many parasites
> the rabbit harbored.   Fine rabbit received burial in lieu of a frying pan.
>
> another story, and we've all seen those.  As for wild animals, I've seen
> fresh roadkill deer that at certain times of the year are so densely laden
> with fat, blood-engorged female ticks that on some of the body regions the
> deer's hair is hardly visible.  These are just the external parasites.  Any
> hunter worth his/her shot (or arrow) learns proper field dressing technique
> so as not to contaminate the meat w/bacteria.  And it's probably pretty
> accurate to say that most hunters never out of curiosity examine/explore/cut
> into the guts & organs once they're removed, so they never really have any
> idea just what or how many parasites live inside these contents.  Bear in
> mind some parasites are microscopic or nearly so, so the unaided eye doesn't
> necessarily spot them all.

Theola,

I respect your experience, but I just noticed that there is a definite
"yuck" or "gross out" factor involved here, and I wonder how relevant
it is.  I mean, our culture is grossed out by worms, but for what
reason?  I am not saying I know the answer, I am just posing some
questions which I think are important.  Many of us would not eat worms
and insects yet they are important food for some people in some parts
of the world, and likely in our evolutionary history.

I was trying to point out that worms are a part of the cycle of life
in a way that many things we have become accustomed to (chemical
pollutants for example) are not.  Did the worms that infested that
rabbit you mentioned above actually harm its health?

Jana