The Parasitology Exam Poem by Pete Crowther

At 7.30, after morning breakfast
it was the parasitology exam...
I had some 40 worms
to memorise —
Latin names, contamination, size,
colour, cycle, treatment, diagnosis,
signs clinical and otherwise,
as well as prophylaxy, reproduction,
not to mention all the different
types of eggs,
their shape and size.
These 40 worms I carried in my head,
a salad mix you might have said.
One question I found pretty hard
concerned a man with diarrhoea,
nausea and restless fever.
I knew 30 worms that could cause that
but this was special for the man
had hypereosinophilia
of five percent; percentages
are different for each worm.
I had a guess and chose
the species, saginata
of the genus, Teniae
And thanks to Lady Luck,
by all the gods, I got it right!
Tomorrow we’ll be tested in diseases.