...it is the scientific name for the study of reptiles and amphibians (including snakes, lizards, turtles, crocodilians, amphisbaenians, frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, sirens and caecilians).
If never before exposed to the study, perhaps your thoughts referred to herpes, which is the viral disease. The prefix herpe means 'creeping things' in Greek and is the root of both terms.
Although many among us have an innate morbid fear of snakes and all things that crawl with scales, or hops with warts or jumps with slimy skin; the study of these animals under the title herpetology we now see is not in reference to disease, but merely is a route to a better understanding of the animal kingdom overall and thus ultimately...ourselves...
Regards,
BJA
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