THE VARIED ROLES OF SNAILS - National Universities Commission

sites in North Africa but are also eaten throughout the
Mediterranean region, where their fossil remains are found
in archaeological site dating between 12,000 and 6,000
years ago. However it should be noted that wild caught
land snails that are undercooked can harbour a parasite that
may cause a rare kind of meningitis but this does not stop
specialized snail caviar growing in popularity in cuisines
around the world.
(d) SNAILS AND HUMAN HEALTH
Due to its slowness, snails have traditionally been seen as a
symbol of laziness. In Judeo – Christian culture, they have
often been viewed as manifestations of the deadly sin of
sloth. Psalm 58 vs 8 implies that slimy track of a snail is a
sign that is will eventually wear itself away. Snails were
also widely noted and used in divination. The Greek Poet
Hesiod was noted to have said that snails signified the time
to harvest by climbing the stalks, while the Aztec moon
god “Teccizteatl” bore shell on his back. This symbolized
rebirth. The snail’s penchant for appearing and
disappearing was analogized with the moon. Despite all
these folk tales, snails actually constitute a serious health
problem for man. For example, the giant African snails are
carriers of the rat parasite, Angiostrongylus cantonensis.
This parasite can be contracted by man (zoonosis) by
ingesting improperly cooked snail meat or by handling live
snails and transferring some of the mucus (slime) to the
human mucus membranes such as those in the eyes, nose
and mouth. They develop in man to cause a form of
meningitis.
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