TY  - JOUR
JF  - Acarologia
T1  - The true identity of Pascal’s mite and the diachronic use of ciron
VL  - 59
IS  - 2
SP  - 261
EP  - 278
PY  - 2019
SN  - 0044-586X
SN  - 2107-7207
PB  - Les Amis d'Acarologia
AU  - André, Henri M.
UR  - https://doi.org/10.24349/acarologia/20194330
DO  - 10.24349/acarologia/20194330
DA  - 2019-07-11
ET  - 2019-07-11
KW  - Sarcoptes scabiei (L.)
KW  - Acarus siro L.
KW  - Blaise Pascal
KW  - ciron
KW  - mite
AB  - The identity of Blaise Pascal’s mite is examined. Linguistics, morphology, habitat and size reveal that Pascal’s mite is not Acarus siro L., as usually thought, but Sarcoptes scabiei (L.). The diachronic use of the popular term ciron is explored from a number of different perspectives. In everyday language and in Pascal’s time, the term used to designate <I>A.</I> siro L. was mite (used singly, in English and French) and not ciron, a word restricted to the scabies mite; its use is also investigated. The classification of mites in the 17th and 18th centuries is reviewed.
ER -