The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-05-29

walk came from great distances.
 DTS. Ashford and King, who had ex- pected in the beginning to treat at the most a thousand cases in six monthA examined the blood and faeces of near ly a thousand persons at Bayamon Tn six weeks. Though without selection and without previous diagnosis, the lg norant peon being guided to the hospl- tai only by the knowledge that ne was i'll and could secure medical attention free, in only six cases have the doctors failed to find the patients infected by uncinariasis.
 Several hundred patients have been discharged as cured. Almost without exception all have showed signs or improvement after one weeks treat- ment. Only one death mars the record of thousand cases.
 Tn addition to its interest from 2 medical and humanitarian side, says pr. Ashford, "uncinariasis has come 10 be one of the most prominent economic questions of Puerto Rico. over thirty per cent. of the deaths in the island reported by the Superior Board or Health recently are charged against anaemia. These figures if anything are below the actual facts, because deaths due to complications with uncinariasis are reported under the head of such complication of disease. Also deaths due directly to uncinariasis are often charged to one of It's prominent symp- toms. because, as far as we know a recognition of the disease 1s confined to a flaw of the Puerto Rican profes- sion.
 Percentage of the InfeCted.
 According to the estimate of Gov ernor General George W. Davis, there were 500 GOO "tibaros" or peons living in the matched huts in Puerto Rico In December, 1901. This class furnish es most of the cases of uncinarlasis' It is our firm belief that 90 per cent. of them living outside of the larger cit ies are infected with the parasite ana that IS per cent. of those infected show decided symptoms. In the cities IL IS not SO common, but investigation of the native soldiers, a fair representation of the c'+y people. shows that 54 per cent harbor the parasite. Put of the entire population of Puerto Rico, only | 87 per cent live in towns of more than 5000 inhabitants.
 | Taking no count of the 270.0oO per sons of the better class, living in the country and in small towns, not in- cIuded in this estimatet-t these figures show thGt 5S4,0 900 of the inhabitants or | the island are infected. lt tHeISAoIo seems fair to assume that. if Dr. Ash ford is correct-and he has gradually Increased his percentages as his stud ies have progressed-at least e0O,0o0 of the inha bitants of Puerto Rico have anaemia to some degree
 l Nor ia Puerto Rico the only part of tbe IInited States where the disease has been found. Since Dr. Ashford first showed the prevalence of the parasite in that island, physicians reused to tn-
 vestigat tion have discovered cases in many of the Southern States. There are evidences of it's presence in Alabama EIorida Texas and in Georgia, where infected persons have been found in
 great numbers among the clay eaters
 Disease of Filth and Dirt.
 Ircinar.asis is primarily a disease of d,rt and filth Hence it's prevalence
 among persons of the lower classes ratber than among wealthy and clean 1v nersons. Children who play around in inc dirt are especially scourged.
 "Tt would seem." says Dr. Ashford .that the black possesses racial im- r,Initv from anaemia as well as from vaIIow fever. After much search and many examinations in very few eases | have we found anaemia due to uncin- aria in the full blooded negro, al- though sometimes he harbors a larger nrrnber of the parasites than whites suffering from profound anaemia
 statements that the Puerto Rican