The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1910-01-29
WAR ON THE 8OOKWORM.

Notwithstanding the opposition aroused among
certain southern newspapers at the Rockefeller do
nation to make the hookworm, that the men
ace of the hooBworm is recognized in the south is
indicated by the meeting held at Atlanta last week
to discuss the parasite and its relation economic
conditions of the south. According to the At
lanta Journal, than 800 of the leading lights
of the medical profession in the south, together
with others interested in the advancement of
health in that section assembled in convention in
that city, called there to wage war on the hook
worm. Present at the session was DR.. Charles w.
Stiles of Washington, the government zoologist to
whom is due in great measure the discovery of the
hookworm parasite in the south. DR.. Stiles spoke
on the History and Geological Aspect of the
Hookworm," telling of the discovery of parasite
by German physician in 1872, which he called a
"hookworm" from its form. He traced the later
discoveries of the parasite, from 1887 when
Italian found the hookworm in human body, to
the time when it found to be rather common
in Egypt and even more so in Brazil, where physi-
clans knew much of the disease in 1861. Then the
speaker told of his tour of inspection in the south
in search of evidence of the presence of the hook
worm. His conclusions were that about 1876 per
cent of the men, women and children of the cotton
mills have the disease to such an extent that a
diagnosis is unnecessary. While some places the
percentage of the disease is nearly Zero the speaker
said he could show localities where 90 per cent of
the people are infected
DIR. Stiles took occasion to touch rather ten
der spot when, according to the Journals account
he said '79 per cent of the negro farm hands in
the south living under no better sanitary con-
ditions than the savage tribes of Africa. Forty
six per cent of the white population lives under
conditions that are no better"
Addresses by other physicians dealt with the
symptomology, pathology, nervous aspects Of the
clinical manifestations and treatment of the dis
ease with address by the president of the Texas
state board of health on "Ihe Campaign of Educa-
ton in Texas Against the Hookworm Disease
Dr. George Dock of Tulane university New Or
leans, in his address on "Symptomology" said he
was of the opinion that 'moonshining" gun tot
ing' and the "feudal wars" of the south we're due
in some measure to the depressing moral influence
induced by the hookworm.
Hon. E. E. Rittenhouse, president of the Prov
ident Savings Life Assurance society of New York
advanced the theory that one of the duties of life
insurance companies is to work for the preserva-
ton of the public health. He made no effort to
conceal the fact that the measure of profits of the
companies would be enlarged by improvement in
general sanitary conditions and the preservation
of the public health
The meeting was notable from the free discus
sion of the economical aspects of the hookworm
disease, and furnishes vndication of the oil
magnate in his efforts to benefit the victims of
the parasite. That the south is awakened to the
necessity of fighting this pestlence this cause of
physical, mental and moral degeneration and deg
radiation, is plainly evident. In this respect it is
but justice to express commentator of the effort
of the people of the south, as we have already of
the Rockefeller donation Both are evidences of
a clear desire to benefit humanity; both show an
appreciation of the vast disability under which the
victims of the disease labor; both seem to recog-
nize the presence of preventable or eradicable
disease as disgrace to our civilization No doubt
improvement in sanitary conditions for the ~ 9per
cent of negro farm hands and 46 per cent of the
white population" who are living under no better
sanitary conditions than the savage tribes of At
RIGA" will be noted as a result of the conference
May the good work go on.