The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-08-07
Typical Country LabOrer's Hut.
Uncle Sans Physicians Have Discovered
the Parasite of Anemia, Greatest
Curse of the Island.
Remarkable Transformation in the Charac-
ter of the People Wrought by Brief
Course of Treatment.

| tricts the infection is largely due TO
the method used in planting the seed
The native planter makes a hole with
his finger in the ground. drops in a
! seed. and then covers up the hole. US
ing his hands in the latter operation. It
/ also is very simple matter for the
] dirt to get from his fingers to his
mouth
/ The natives eat a great many raw
/ vegetables, which is another way the
disease Is spread. Next to the coffee
! plantations the greatest peril lies in the
! sugar fields.
| Living, as the natives do, in matched
| huts, frequently lying on the bare
| ground, they are in constant danger of
| becoming infected. The children play
about in the dirt with all the eagerness
/ for mud pies that inspires children of
| other countries. The little tots are all
unconscious Of the danger, and hundreds
or them contract this disease which may
stay with them for years, and eventual
~ carry them TO the grave.
Suffering Widespread.
Many pitiful and pathetic cases have
come before the doctors in charge Of the
hospital. Whole families. in a dreadful
state Of enaciation. young men in the
prime Of life with less ambition than
their grandfathers. girls with heavy.
bloated faces. mothers unable to feed
their babies.
In extreme cases the skin is waxv
white or tan; hair is found on the head.
but is more or less absent from the
body; the nails are colorless; breasts
are undeveloped; eyes are dry and the
pupils dilate readily; the heart fire.
quently palpitates rapidly.
How quickly all these Ills NAV be
cured a single instance will suffice TO
show. a man, apparently in a dying
condition, came into camp in April. His
condition was torpid to an extreme; his
legs were much swollen. but the rest
Of his body was emaciated. He tainted
as he reached the door OF the tent and
had TO be carried inside.
The first test Of his blood showed the
red blood corpuscIes reduced to Is per
cent. BY Che first week in May these
red corpuscIes had increased to 50 per
cent. The man was practically restored
to health. His gratitude was unbounded
and he left the hospital in a condition
70 work as hard as the best Of the lab
crers.
Method of Treatment.
The examination Of the blood is the
first step in the treatment Of the pa
TENTS. The tiny parasites which are
the cause Of the anemic condition Of the
patients destroy the hemoglobin or red
blood corpuscles. After the examina-
ton Of the blood the patient IS placed
on a milk diet for a day in preparation
IT.
are given during the next twelve hours
and then a dose OF castor oil or mag
nesia- This treatment should eKpel the
parasites. then comes the building UP OF
the system with nutritious food.
While It is. OF course, the first step 10
get rid OF the disease. It is CT great i'm
portance 20 prevent a recurrence
Among the precautions recommended
are 10 keep the hands clean and the
finger nails free Of dirt: to wear shoes.
for the parasite can enter tho human
system through the skin; to battle fire.
Quenuy. and generally keep clean. "
For the families living in the country
and most OF them do-the advice about
wearing shoes comes as blow, and IN
most cases Il cannot be followed. But
the utter lack OF sanitation and personal
hygiene can be remedied.
County Metamorphorized.
President lincoln once said that he
would trust no people who live in n
country where apples do not grow. This
assertion applies to all the tropics. What
the Porto Ricans without his lazy bug
will be IS difficult TO predict Neverthe-
less. judging from the remarkable cures
effected so far It is possible 20 imagine
country with hourishing industries
where they are now struggling hard for
existence. with an abundance of labor
where there IS now hardly a 'suficiency.
With the cooperation OF the medical
men OF the island-and what IS just rs
important-the cooperation OF the "a
lives. these results should be possible
Il is q strange fact that negroes are
practically exempt from this curse OF
Porto Rico. Tie same parasite is do
ing great harm in our own Southern
States and IN the Philippine Islands For
many years the anemic and emacia.ad
poor whites IN the South were thought
70 be suffering from malaria or con
sumption. Florida and Georgia, in fact