Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-02-18
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IMPORTED GUINEA WORMS.
Boy Afflicted with Disease that is
Attracting Attention.

attention.
In a little frame cottage at No. 400 West
Twentieth street, is a 10-year-old boy who
is attracting considerable attention from
several physicians There is nothing spe-
cially remarkable in the child's appear
ance, he seeming healthy and strong
enough, though somewhat more pallid
than usual. This boy. little Joseph Blaks-
lee, is now under treatment for disease,
if disease it may be called, of which his is
the only authenticated case in the United
States. There is now being slowly re-
moved from his body specimen of the
Guinea worm" a very curious and little
known entozoon native to the west coast OF
Africa, the marshy districts of Bengal,
and certain portions of central Asia.
The house is that of William Blakslee
an Englishman by birth, who for several
years has been in the employ of the Bur
lington railroad as an engineer.
" | don't know much about it myself
said Mr.. Blakslee 81 am not at home
much, and only know that the boy had a
bad time of 1t with the first worm, for this
is the second. The doctor says he must
have brought them from India in him, for
he is my nephew, my brother Johns boy
not mine, you know. Just show the man
Joey's foot" concluded Blakslee, turning
to his wife.
Taking the child upon her lap Mrs
Blakslee removed bandage and poultice
from its left ankle, showing an infamed
spot about an inch in diameter From
the center of this protruded a yellow
thread-like body. wound on a small quill
: y
pointing to the yellow thread which wa:
about the size of the Z string of violin
" It's been coming but about a fortnight
now, and think there must be six or sever
inches wound on that quill"
You see," continued the boys uncle
my brother John and me were boti
engine-drivers in the old country, or en-
gineers, as you say here. He got a gooC
offer on an Indian railway, went and mar
ried there. Two or three years afterward
came to America. About two wears ACC
my brothers wife died, leayins
him this child. He had done well in tina
country, but seem to feel that h,
should not last long, and wrote IN,
asking that if anything happened to him
would take charge of his boy. About five
u,
boy quite bit of money, and directing
that he be sent to me- So little Joe cam,
all that long way alone, and got to Chi
cago about three months ago"
When did the worm first appear
The third week after joey came" contin
ued Mrs. Blakslee; "that is, the first one
As | was putting the children to bed on,
evening Joey said his right foot itchec
and kept pulling at it, l could find moth
ing except small pimple right on thu
ankle bone. He went to digging at it witt
fingernails, and soon broke it open. A sor
of little black head could be seen, and
got a needle and pulled it out. The mex
morning his ankle was swollen and hur
him SO that he could not walk. 1t kept OF
getting worse and worse until we had t.
call a doctor. The child had a very BAG
time of it, but at last the sore began Il
run, and sort of thread nearly two fee
long came out. The doctor hadn't known
Just what to make of the case before, bu
when he saw that he said it was a 'Guine,
worm, and very rare case. He told m,
that if another pimple like that come tC
let him know, and make the child let i
alone. About two weeks ago this one APP
peared on the left foot. Before the doctor
could get here it broke, and he Just tool
hold of the tiny black head, pulled it ou
about half an inch and wound it round III,
quill, as you see. Since that it has com,
out about half an inch every day. TIL,
doctor says that if the worm IS not h.oker
there will be no swelling or pain, and i
will come out little by little"
Yes" said DR.. f. G. Barnard. {" it is ;
genuine case of Guinea worm. The thins
is well known, and yet almost unknown
As far as | can ascertain, this Is the frs
authentic case known in this country
though others are said to have been OBJ
served in Louisiana in the early part of tn,
century. The subjects were recentlv-im
ported slaves from the west coast of Africa
But the report is not well verified. O
course | don't exactly know, but suppos,
the child must have gotten the worm
lodged in him by wading in some marshy
pool. The authorities say that the germ
may be in the system as much as two year
before reaching a full development. Though
the attacks of the worms have sometime
caused death, l have no great fear in thi
case" -Chicaqo Times.