Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1909-12-08
"HOOKWORM" is ANTIQUE.
But Significance of the Peculiar MaIa
dy Was Never Understood Be-
fore 1902.

In view of John d. Rockefeller.
gift of 100000 and the appoint
ment of commission to fight the
'hookworm," the ravages of this dis
ease have been the subject of genera
discussion the past few weeks, anG
Philadelphia physician who, while
in Porto Rico as an army surgeon
studied the disease, has prepared the
following article, which will throw
much light on the matter.
All the people who live in the
southern part of our country and
those who have travelled there are OF
necessity familiar with the crack
ers," or ''sandhillers," or poor
whites" with their pallid skins, list
less movements, shiftless ways and
mental slowness. Many of these peo-
pie are dirt eaters" literally eating
the earth, or clay, of the soil on
which they live.
Anemia, or poverty of the blood,
has been general south of the Poto-
mac for more than a century, but it
is only since 1902 that it's real sig
nificance has been understood. Med
ical science has shown the way and
Mr.. Rockefeller's generosity has pro-
vided the means to lift the blight
that has clouded and shortened the
the lives of these people and pre-
vented them from becoming a factor
in the material progress of our coun-
try.
The hookworm disease. or "un-
cinariasis," as it is technically called,
is one of great antiquity, for in the
Ebers papyrus, written In Egypt in
1850 B. c., there is a description of
the disease with symptoms similar
to those known to be due to the
hookworm, and which they assigned
to be due to the presence of intestin-
al worms.
Until 1879 the parasite was but
lightly regarded as a source of dan
ger to health or life. In this year
the st: Gothard tunnel was in pro-
cess of construction, and hundreds
of the workmen became ill and many
died with a disease which was I'M
classified, but which was called by
the vague name of tunnel anemia. 4"
At first the nature and the treat
ment of this diease baffled the phys
icians, but in February, 1880, Colo
miatti, an Italian physician, perform
ed an autopsy on a man who had died
In the hospital at Turin of the dis
ease and found 1900 hookworms in
his intestines.
The publication of these facts at
tracted much attention throughout
Europe, and the numerous cases of
miners anemia," Egyptian chlor-
osis,'' tropical anemia,'' brick
makers anemia," "cachexie aquese,"
received scientific investigation and
were shown one and all, to be due
to this hookworm. 1t was found in
Belgium, in England, in Australia,
in India, in fact, all countries where
the temperature was tropical or sub
seemed to be affected. In Ceylon it's
ravages were more serious than those
of the cholera.
Previous to 1893 no authentic case
of the disease was recognized in this
country. From that time until 1902
about thirty-five cases were discov-
cred. In this year DR.. Charles War
dell Stiles of the Public Health and
Marine Hospital service, announced
the discovery of a hookworm in man
which differed somewhat from that
found in Europe, and he called it
the "Uncinaria Americana" He
showed that it was widely distribut-
ed throughout our southern states,
and that its worst effects were seen
rather in the white than in the negro
population.
In 1899, the presence of this worm
had been discovered in Porto Rico
and shown to be the cause of the
Porto Rico anemia," which was
rapidly depopulating the island.
In every case of the disease there
are always male and female hook
worms present, in the proportion of
one of the former to three Of the
latter. The number present varies.
There may be but few, while, on the
other hand, there may be many more
than a thousand. The female worm
is slightly larger than the male,
which is approximately half an inch
long, by an eighth of an inch broad,
cylindrical in form, and in color
varying from white to the deep red,
as it appears when gorged with
blood The margin of the mouth has
four strong clawlike hooks, from
which the parasite takes its name.