The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-11-02


hat Mr.. Rockefeller has had under
consideration a plan to give suihcieh'
money to organize a fight against the
| hook worm disease. Or. stiles, VINO
has been a student Of health conul-
tons, startled the country some
months ago by declaring that the CHIEF
| trouble in the South is the hook worm
disease. He devoted months TO care
full investigation and consideration
consulted and conferred with leading
physicians. and announced that by
the use of proper remedies this disease
| could be cured and the loss Of time
from labor would be prevented. The
conclusions Of DR.. Stiles are con-
Cured in by DR.. Richard II. Lewis.
long secretary of the State Board OF
Health Of North Carolina; DR.. Ran
kin, present secretary, and other
prominent physicians in this and 9th
er States. DR.. Rankin believes that
forty per cent of the children in east
ern North Carolina who so b~arefooted
are afflicted with hook worm and he
says that thirty-seyen per cent Of l47
college students in North Carolina eX-
anined by hin had hook worm. He
is devoting much of his time to Grad
icating this disease and in telling the
people how to treat it and how to
prevent it.
Yesterday Mr.. Rockefeller gave one
million dollars to be used to eradicate
49, 11041- 1-o,, ,nI ,onpn1 ccvfaj n
trustees to conduct the campaign, in
Guiding Hon. j.. Y. Joyner, State Su-
perintendent of Schools of North Car
DINA. Mr.. Rockefeller's letter and the
reply are published elsewhere. The
statement that two million people IN
the South are suffering from this
newly discovered malady staggers be-
lief-many will not adept it or Will
| doubt that there are SO many cases,
for at the best it must be in a measure
q matter of guess-Work. Whether few
OF many, DIR. Stiles, who is an eminent
ntan in his profession, is profoundly
convinced that what we have called
malaria. slow fever and other folks
have called Iaziness among Southern
people is in reality hook-Worm, and
that it can be easily cured. Certainly
neither he nor our own medical lead
erS would hold that idea unless the
disease was prevalent. If, in their
desire to arouse public sentiment to
the point of action, DR.. Stiles and
others have thought it more prevalent
than it is, the public will be glad to
cooperate in Graduating the disease,
whether there are only hundreds or
thousands Of cases.
Mr.. Rockefeller has been convinced
that he can put his money to no better
use than to enable Southern men to
wage persistent war against the hook
worm. The most important cam
paign Of the coming decade is the
campaign against disease. The coun-
try is waking up to the cost in men
and in service from ~preventable and
durable diseases. Mr.. Carengie, Mr..
Rockefeller and other millionaires are
giving large sums to carry on the
fight. Hospitals are being erected and
the body Of man is receiving more
consideration than ever before. "A
sound mind in a sound body has long
been an educational slogan. The war
on tuberculosis, pellagra, hook-Worm
and other diseases has enlisted the
hearty support Of physicians, scholars,
public men, capitalists and the press
and the pulpit. Mr.. Rockcfeller's gift
has been placed in the hands Of we'll
known men and Will be employed in
the best way to carry out the plans of
DR.. Stiles and other trained physicians.
"Thirtean-cent cotton is q good
thing for the farmer but it will not
be a goo thing for the SOuth if it