The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1905-02-17
MANS WORST
| TROPICAL Fee.
The Hookworm Disease a World
wide Scour1v.

v Il
Hookworm disease has been brought
into prominent notice In tho United States
during the last few years owing TO tne
discovery that much Of the sickness ana
some Of the adverse economic conditions
Of the South are due to its widespread
existence.
Up to 1898 no authentic case Of the dis
ease was recognized as such in the United
States. In 1902 Dr. Charles Wardell stiles
of the public health and marine hospital
service showed that a distinct hookWorm,
which was named Uncinara americana
infests man in the Southern States OF this
cDuntry.
The anaemia 80 prevalent In the South.
and 50 debllitating to large number OF
the inhabitants as to give rise to the ex-
preston lazy whites Is said to be al
most entirely due to hookworm disease.
According to Stiles, districts situated on
a clay soil and cities are not fayoraDle
to the development of the malady, but
in the agricultural regions in which the
soil is sandy the infection takes place
readily.
The anaemia is caused by a leechlike,
| blood-sucking parasite which infests the
small intestine. Sandwith of Cairo, Egypt,
believes that the ancient Egyptians sur
number Of references tallying with the
modern descriptions of the affection are
found in ancient writingsr
Within modern times this particular
kind OF anaemia was described in Brazil
| by Piso in 164S: Labat. in ll42 or li4o
| observed it in Gaudaloupe, Chevaller IN
| 1852 in Santo Domingo, Dazille and Bason
| in 1916 In the Antilles and EDWARDS IN
1790-1793 in Jamaica.
In Europe the disease was first noted
among the miners of Auzin, France. in
1902. The parasite, however, was not dis
| covered until 1S43, by Dublin OF Milan.
]. Griesinger In 1854 first showed the true
relation Of the parasitieal disease to anas-
| mia.
The worm causing the malady is, says
| Stiles, somewhat different in Europe and
| in the Old World generally from that OF
this continent. 1t is known In Europe
as the Ankylostomium duodenale ana mere
y as the Uncnaria americana.
/ 1t has a remarkably wide distribution,
being found in almost all tropical and
| subtropical regions, and in many parts OF
the temperate zone. In Great Britain the
| parasite was unknown till recentlv-
In 1902 there was a serious outbreak Of
| aukbylostomcasis in Cornish mines. In
| France It exists in the mining districts.
In Belgium and Germany 1t prevails
| miners working in the coal mines Of
| Hungary the. affection Is common. In
Italy the disease has been observed on
| an extended scale, especially in the prov
4 inces of Milan and Pavia In I.ombardy
In the Far East the maladyf is pres
ent almost everywhere. 1t is exceeding
Fly common throughout, the indian peniIi-
sula and CeylOn. Dobson, Rogers and
i others have shown that in Assam. Ben
gal and some other parts of India from
so to 70 per cent Of the population har-
IT is believed that I'M spnie of the hos
/ pitals OF. Cevlon the nlaiQTby Of cases
OF dysentery and debili ittStasst come un-
dor treatment are. due to- this parasite.
Or Thomhili of CeYlon states that the
more. he reflects on his own experience
and the more he reads of the experlence
OF others. the firner does his convection
become that the hookworm is the great
orr human
In Burmah the worm is widely Dreva-
lent and 1t has wide distribution i'll
the East Indian islands. It has -beep
1 found in Cochin China. in French Indo-
/ China and in Japans in fact. In some
parts of China it is very common.
l. Australia. contains many sufferers from
the hook worm disease while il flc 'lrish-
as more or less in all partsT Of, Africa.
IN Egypt the infection peeurs with great
frequency, and on the. west coast Of
| Africa in the Bergian Congo. in Mauri-
thus and in South africa it is extremely
'i In Central America the hookwerk is
a scourge, and it is fairly common. In
all parts of South America There are
but few of the West Indian islands ir
which the parasite is not found, and IL
Porto Rico it is the cause. of almost
all the sickness and poverty, SO wide
spread throughout that island.
From the above. account X will bt
gathered that hookworm disease has 9
/ very extensive ldHBts lIitl lOuile
mainly in hot or warm climates. whilt
as a cause of permanent endemic disease
II is almost wholly confined to tropica
or subtropical countries. Italy being ths
only country. which is an exception te
that rule. a
AS to the manner in, which infection
by the hookworm takes place. there Is
/ by no means unanimity of opinion amons
medical mer Clemow, great authority
says: THE development of the ova takes
place in muddy water, mud or damn
EARTH while for the final stage, and In
torder thSy may again become seXuall4
mature worms. they must enter the tbs
sues of a human being This probably
takes place by means of foul drink
ing water. or.aperhaps. more commonly
by being transferred In the act of eating
from earthsoiled- hands TO the mouth
or by direct penetration of the skin
Hence II Is most common to find thu
affection in persons who work IN tn
Ali are agreed that the disease is essen
TALLY one OF the soil, hut 1t is not nov
believed that drinking water, howeve
foul, plays any part in its causation. no
even that eating dirt stained food Is
very important factor. The trend o
opinion is toward the belief that direc
infcction~is the man cause.
The majority OF, those who work 4
tropical climates are scantily clothed
and seldom or never wear coverings ol
;. their feet or legs, and it is surmised tina
the worms, swarming in the earth. effec
an entrance to the body in means of tn
bare feet and legs of the workers.
Treatment by drugs is effective, mai
fern and thymol especially the latter
! being excellent curative remedies Pre-
vention, nevertheless, as in most disease
: OF a parasitic nature, is the most effec
) tive mode Of extirpation.
+ Much can doubtless be done in the wa
"a of disinfecting the soil. but this method
although radical and efficient. Is expen
; sive and presents many difficulties. Tier
are many other precautionary measure
=, which might be adopted and would d
= muchsto curb the spread of the disease.
OF these. personal cleanliness and goo
sanitary arTangemtnts generally stand |
the front rank Protection TO the fee
and legs is also an obvious precautio
/ and one which. If put into universal prae
tice among the inhabitants OF tropics
regions would be step in the right d
rection of lnestimable Importance
The whole question Is an economic on
i that affects the government of the Unite
e States directly Not only within the boz
. ders of our own continent does hook
. worm disease prejudicially anect N
v physical well being and prosperity OF
3 large number Of the Inhabitants. but
: Porto Rico and in the Philippines for tn
J. health and progress of whose inhabitant
D we ares now responsible, the malady Is
{, Further than this Central America Is
s hotbed Of hOokwOrm disease. and
B measures are not put into force prompt
i TO check its spread, It will undoubtedl
e be a prominent cause Of sickness anon
[ the Panama canal Workers.-NeW 1or
4 Sun.
e .eSpeaking Of old pictures, said q
; virt0osO. as he placed an OLD oil cox
I OF Grover Cleveland beside dusty pain
I tnf SOM