Historical background

Membership development

History of the board (SSP & SBSP)

Educational activities

Joint collaboration and activites

Additional information

Historical background

Brief information on the former Baltic Society for Parasitology (BalSP)

September, 2003. by Gediminas Valkiunas

There has been a strong tradition of research in Parasitology in Baltics. The Baltic States scientific conferences on Parasitology have been held in turn in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia once per 3-4 years since 1960. These conferences have become traditional gatherings of Baltic parasitologists. During such meetings, achievements within parasitology in scientific institutions as well as in industrial sector were discussed. At the 12th Baltic Conference on Parasitology in 1992, the idea to organise a Baltic Society for Parasitology was launched. Parasitologists in all Baltic States supported this idea. The Baltic Society for Parasitology was established in 1993. The objectives of the Society were to advance the study of parasitology, promote interest and discussion, aid education, and to disseminate information about recent advances. The Society provided an important forum for discussion between parasitologists.

The membership of the Society was free. In 2003, there were over 90 members with 40 from Lithuania, nine from Estonia, four from Latvia, ten from Belarus, 16 from Russia, three from Poland, three from United Kingdom, two from Finland, two from Denmark, one from Norway, one from Iceland and one from Ukraine. These members represented over 40 various institutions, they were scientists from experimental, academician and university laboratories, lectures from universities and other high schools, hygiene centres, hospital personnel, practising doctors, veterinarians, agronomists and teachers.

We believe that the joint Scandinavian-Baltic Society for Parasitology will provide additional opportunities for parasitologist in Scandinavian and Baltic countries to meet each other and to work together on joint projects.

The Foundation of the SSP.

Formally, the Scandinavian Society for Parasitology was founded on December 16th, 1967 - on the last day of the "Second SSP Symposium", which was organized in Hillerød, Denmark. There, an interim Board and a Scientific Council were elected. Bo-Jungar Wikgren, Åbo was elected as President, August Brinkman, Bergen as Vice-President, Johan Reuter, Åbo as Secretary and Olle Nilsson, Stockholm as Treasurer. However, the history of the SSP dates back to December 12th, 1966 when 34 Nordic parasitologists participated in a Symposium (SSP 1), organized at the initiative of the newly founded Institute of Parasitology in Turku (Åbo), Finland. The first regular Board of the SSP was elected at the 3rd SSP Symposium in December 1968 in Stockholm.

Back to top

Membership development

In 1968, a total of 88 membership applications were accepted, 20 in 1969 and 25 in 1970. By then, 126 persons were reported members in the Society. As shown on the graph below, the number of reported members gradually increased to 251 during 1976 to 1995.

In 1997, however, it became clear that several registered members were not willing to pay their gradually accumulating debts. Consequently, they were removed from the membership list. At present, the number of members is about 130 and recently the local Treasurers started a campaign to enlist new members in the SSP.

Click to see graph of membership development through time

Back to top

History of the Board (SSP & SBSP)

SSP Presidents
1967-1968 Bo-Jungar Wikgren (FI)
1968-1970 Rolf Vik (NO)
1970-1972 Odd Halvorsen (NO)
1972-1976 Gunnel Huldt (SE)
1976-1981 Tor Pettersson (FI)
1981-1985 Jørn Andreassen (DK)
1985-1989 Peter Nansen (DK)
1989-1993 Hans-Peter Fagerholm (FI)
1993-1997 Inger Ljungström (SE)
1997-2001 Tellervo Valtonen (FI)
2001-2003 Karl Skírnisson (IS)

SSP Secretaries
1967-1968 Johan Reuter (FI)
1968-1970 Odd Halvorsen (NO)
1970-1972 Karin Andersen (NO)
1972-1976 Göran Malmberg (SE)
1976-1981 Göran Bylund (FI)
1981-1985 Jorun Tharaldsen (NO)
1985-1989 Inger Ljungström (SE)
1989-1993 Arne Skorping (NO)
1993-1997 Sven Nikander (FI)
1997-2001 Maria Vang Johansen (DK)
2001-2003 Charlotte Maddox-Hyttel (DK)

SSP Treasurers
1967-1968 Olle Nilsson (SE)
1968-1970 ?
1970-1972 ?
1972-1976 ?
1981-1985 ?
1985-1989 ?
1989-1993 Arvid Uggla (SE)
1993-1997 Birgitte Jyding Vennervald (DK)
1997-2001 Tor-Atle Mo (NO)
2001-2003 Katja Pulkkinen (FI)

SBSP Presidents
2003-2005 Karl Skírnisson (IS)
2005-2007 Charlotte Maddox-Hyttel (DK)

SBSP Vice Presidents
2003-Gediminas Valkiunas (LI)

SBSP Secretaries
2003-2005 Charlotte Maddox-Hyttel (DK)
2005- Johan Höglund (SE)

SBSP Treasurers
2003-2005 Katja Pulkkinen (FI)
2005- Jurijus Komisarovas (LI)

Webmasters

?-2009 Árni Kristmundsson (IS)

2009- Brian Lassen (EST)

If you know the Treasurers during 1968-1989 or other missing members please forward the information to the webmaster.

Back to top

Educational activities

The rapid rise of parasitological research in the Scandinavian countries in the sixties and seventies was partly due to SSP activities. The early Symposia were a valuable addition to parasitological education then available at Nordic Universities. As seen below, the Society arranged several courses for the younger generation in collaboration with skilled SSP members:

1970 "A Nordic Course in General Parasitology" arranged byHolger Madsen and Jørn Andreassen at the Zoological Laboratory, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

1975 A course in "Marine Parasitology" arranged by August Brinkmann and Björn Berland at the Collegium for Marine Biology in Bergen, Norway.

1979 A course in "Veterinary Parasitology" arranged byErling Bindseil at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

1982 A course named, "Use of Labelled Antibodies in Parasitological Research" arranged byGunnel Huldt and Inger Ljungström in Stockholm, Sweden.

1986 A postgraduate course on "Aquaculture and Parasitic Diseases" arranged by Emmy Egidius, Jan Thulin and Björn Berland in Bergen, Norway.

1992 A Nordic training course in "Parasitic Zoonoses" arranged by Peter Nansen, Henrik Bøg, Bente Ilstøe and Eskild Petersen at the RVA University, Copenhagen, Denmark.

1993 A Nordic training course on "Epidemiology of Zoonotic Diseases" also arranged by Peter Nansen and his colleagues the Danish Centre for Parasitic Zoonoses, RVA University, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Back to top

Joint collaboration and activites

Joint Symposia
1. Joint Symposium of the Baltic (BaSP) and the Scandinavian Societies for Parasitology (SSP) on "Parasitic Zoonoses and the Ecology of Parasites" in Vilnius, Lithuania, Sept. 7-8, 1994

2. Joint Symposium of the Baltic (BaSP) and the Scandinavian Societies for Parasitology (SSP) on "Ecology of Bird-Parasite Interactions" in Vilnius, Lithuania, June 25-28, 1998.

3. Joint Symposium of the Russian Parasitological Society (RSP) and the Scandinavian Society for Parasitology (SSP) on "Ecological Parasitology on the Turn of Millennium" in St. Petersburg, Russia, July 1-7, 2000.
Two workshops were organised during the symposium;
- "Ecological-parasitological problems of NW-Europe" and
- "Parasites of Marine and Coastal Birds in Arctic and Subarctic Regions".

Special Symposia and Seminars arranged by/on behalf of SSP
1. Special Symposium on "Dissemination of Parasites" in connection to the ordinary meeting of SSP in Denmark, 1972.

2. Seminar on "Vectors and Vector Bound Diseases" in Denmark, 1987.

3. Special Symposium on "Parasites of Biological and Economical Significance in the Aquatic Environment" in Heimaey, Iceland, July 2-6, 1994.

4. Special Symposium on "Parasites and Ecology of Marine and Coastal Birds" in Stykkishólmur, Iceland, June 15-18, 1996

Back to top

Additional information

Photographic Archive:

In 1993, Göran Malmberg donated to the SSP a large collection of photographs made during previous SSP symposia. This material is archived at the Department of Zoology, Stockholm University.

Participation in Federations.

In 1970 the SSP joined the European Federation of Parasitology as well as the World Federation of Parasitologists

Selected verses of poems written and recited at past SSP banquets
by Greta Hedenström

Icke blott i varma länder är det gott om vilda djur.
Också här, där vi har vant oss vid en mer steril kultur
är det gott om parasiter, icke blott i fisk och får.
Har vi tur så kan vi möte dem varhelst vi går och står
ja, varhelst vi går och star kan vi skönja deras spår,
oftare ju mer vi lär oss av att träffas år från år i den vinterkalla Nord.
Vi får kaste överbord våra dagliga bekymmer och tar till oss nya ord.
SSP 2, 1967

- o -

Räven rasker utan maskar
när i Norge runt han traskar
#så får vi lov#
att sjunga rävarnas vise.
Hur många sorkar de än förtär
så finns det alls inga maskar där
så får vi lov etc…..
SSP 3, 1968

- o -

In the North we look on parasites as figurines of fun.
Many of them do not thrive under the never setting sun,
others do not like the winter and its overwhelming cold.
And the admirable hygiene sometimes makes them lose their hold,
while a certain lack of slums gives them pricking in their thumbs.
But their genius for survival helps them get along on crumbs
so the greedy parasites stay alive in many sites
with no respect or feeling for established human rights.
SSP 7, 1974

- o -

Dogs since early in the Stone Age were the closest friends of man
working willingly with shepherds so that sheep and cattle ran
roughly in the right direction as directed by the men.
It may be that our survival was quite dog dependent then,
on the road from Nomad ways to the life in our days
when machines in Western countries have replaced the canine lays.
SSP 11, 1983

Back to top