The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-10-30
TO ERADICATE
 SOUTH VAMPIRE
Rockefeller Commission Agreed on Plans
 To Wipe Out Haokworm Disease.
TO AID POOREST SUFFERERS.

Special from United Press.) New York, Oct. 29.-Although no de tails have been worked out as yet, the
 broad outlines upon which the work l of eradicating the .'Hookworm Disease
 known as the Vampire of the South ! will be carried out by the comrnissien delegated by Rockefeller, have been de. cided upon. The gift of $1 100000 was decided on only last Thursday and the commission has not had time to out l line the details of the campaign, but a definite policy has been laid down and it is understoodr today that this plan, in accordance Wth the wishes of 1 the oil king, will make it possible for | the poorest sufferers of the south to be treated for the disease.
 One of the points which has been de- cided upon is that the hospitals which will be established for the treatment Of nookworn sufferers, will not be con- fined to the. larger cities of the south but will be distributed t nearly all 1 through, the region infested by the pest.
 l Another feature of the campaign that fhas been tentatively decided upon is the segregation of the races in those regions in the south where the negro population constitute a large spropor- tion of the sufferers. Separate dis pensaries will be established for the negroes and whites.
 The campaign will be generally di- vided into two parts, that of treat ment for the disease which will be us- ually very simple and that of educa- tfon in the afflicted communities SC as to prevent, if possible, it's recur- renee st-t
 While the life history of the Amer ican Murderer" has been definitely traced, the scientists who are studying the problem have offered no means of making it impossible for the disease to recur.
 So far as is known, the larvae of the hooky1orm cannot live long outside the human body and that. if strict means are taken to prevent it's entrance into the human organism, the little worms will die before they breed, which must take place in the human intestine The larvae will enter the body by mere contact with the skin of any portion of the body, the feet, hand or the face. Going barefooted will be tabooed ant it will be a problem to provide a GOV ering for the masses of poor which will be an important feature in the war against the Ilookworn. Q
 The commission is not looking too far ahead. going on the theory that the difficulties can be overcome when they arise. It is stated today that the first work will be begun within the next two months and that the campaign will then be relentlessly prosecuted to the finish.
 GOVERNMENT HEALTH
 EXPERTS GRATEFUL
 Washington, Oct 29-The govern ment health experts are unanimous in expressing qualification because of John D. Rocefeller's munificent gift of million dollars to fight the Hook worm disease Surgeon General Wey- man of the public health and marine hospital service said today:
 sttI arn very glad to learn that an effort Is now to be made to eradicate this disease, which it is conservatively estimated. affects 100000 of our peo- pie principally in the south. It is evi- dent from the correspondence which passed between MT. Rockefeller, and the commissioner to which he has en- trusted the fund, that he contemplated campaign of education. I think this would be of great value if they work in harmony with the state and local authorities which have no doubt they will.
 This service has devoted great deal of study and attention to the pre- valence of the disease in the south and it was through one of our iffi- cers, Dr. Charles Wardell Stiles, that attention was first directed to it..
 Surgeon General Rixey of the Navy. and Brigadier General Stearnberg. formerly surgeon general of the army both expressed themselves as being much pleased that there was now a chance of eradicating the disease.
 The hookworm is a parasite which is supposed to enter the human sys- tenn through the bare feet. It feeds on the red corpuscles of the blood and thus produces enervation Or so-called "shiftlessneSs' common in some sec tions of the south.