Edible snails are kept in farms in many countries worldwide. As farm animals, they are an object of interest of veterinary studies and applied biology. There is a large demand for tests which would help identify their health and well-being. The objective of this study was to assess the usefulness of determining the concentration of urea in hemolymph as a marker of health of the Lissachatina fulica and Cornu aspersum edible snails. The observation covered snails from four farms marked from A to D, in which numerous deaths (farm A) and decreased body weight gain (farms B and C) were observed. In experimental farm D we observed a group of snails subjected to stress and a control group maintained in correct conditions. High concentrations of urea were found in the hemolymph of all farm animals from farms A, B and C, as well as in those subjected to food deprivation in farm D (on average from 96 mg/dl in farm D to 320 mg/dl in farm A). On the other hand, in controls from group D, the concentration of the parameter in question was much lower (< 2.0 mg/dl). The results obtained indicate that the urea concentration is a non-specific marker of pathological conditions in snails, and that the continuous monitoring of this parameter makes it possible to demonstrate irregularities in farming and introduce appro- priate and early measures to eliminate such disturbances.

The review covers the methodology problems of numismatic research, especially statistic methods, applied in the monograph Evolution of the Currencies: the Black Sea region and the Balkans in the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries, that resulted from a continuous scientific venture, methodological approaches creation and development. A detailed inspection of the work as a whole, and of the part devoted to methodological approach suggested by the author in particular, testifies to the research being done on the formulae and statistical basis that is an innovative approach in historical science and a revolutionary one – in Russian numismatics. A. Ponomaryov applied Sturges’ rule to solve his scientific problems. This is quite doubtful as Sturges’ rule is not considered valid in modern statistics. A. Ponomaryov’s off-base usage of other statistic laws disputes the obtained results which remain hypothetical without a proper argumentation. Yet Andrey Ponomaryov’s book constitutes an interesting research. The researcher’s indisputable merit is his attempt to level up numismatic researches with the help of other sciences methodology.