The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-07-27
lecture ON The HOOK WORM.
With a Prelude by the Editor.

On Friday night Dr.. Ward OF George
town, the Government Expert on the Hook
worm, will deliver an illustrated lecture in
the High School Auditorium on the sub
iect "Hook Worm"
We will proceed to deliver our lecture
now, a sort Of prelude to the main play.
The Hook Worm Is a sort of narrow
minded %insinuating invertebrate with de-
cided tendencies. He is
ovoviviparous, and while he is not so large
as a squirrel'or a rat he belongs to the
family of rodents, that is he gnaws mainly
for livelihood. The h~crpetology OF this
internal reptile has been developed by one
DR.. Styles who is proud of his job, tho
little kens he of the uneasiness, the self
examinations, the doubts and uncertain
and even aggravated hysteria he has
brought on the body polite by so doing.
Lest we should shock the modesty OF
some reader we will say that the Hook
Worm has his habitat in shady places,
The word SHADY" is here used figura-
ively.)
There he lounges around and possesses
himself in all the patience that he can,
longing for some little boy to put his ped
al extremely on him. Once stepped on
he resents it with all the energy that he
possesses and spends the rest of his life
in wreaking vengeance. Boys should be
very careful and look where they step lest
they should tread on one of these vindl-
dive little animals.
Vermes, that order of Zoology which
comprises worms, fail to give any history
of the Hook worm. We may safely say,
however, that it is no relation to the Hook
Bill or the Hook Squid. His family tree
has somehow been misplaced and it is not
known whether his ancestors were 1ointed
snakes or "Stingamarees." Suffice it to
say he has developed marked interest in
his historyi about which we will learn
something Friday night.
But to revert: when once this abomin-
able "pailer killer. seizes on to a little
boys epidermis he hangs there like grim
death to a defunct Senegambian. He wig
giles his way thru the pores and Sweat
glands just as you have often seen a large
cat fish wiggle his way into a fish basket,
and when once introduced to the boys
nervous system he hangs up his hat, pulls
off his coat if you don't believe this just
ask DR.. Ward Friday night and begins to
circulate like a red hot comet in the So
lar system.
While the scoundrel is amphibious he
nevertheless possesses decided aquatic
proclivities, so when he slips thru the der
mis- he Immediately makes for Il blood
vessel and takes a plunge. There in IAN
guorous lounging he floats on the swiftly
gliding current, planning and prcmcdi-
tating and gloating on vengeance pre-
pense. He thus circulates his solar sys-
tenn until he plunges into the heart, and
right here you must pause to bow your
head in gratitude to this vcrmicular var
mint" for if he stopped here in your an
atomy and began operations it would be
hard to predict whether you would die
right away and peaceably or go of in TAN
trums. But, thanks to him, and this is
the only instance III which we feel CRATE
full to him, he sweeps his lazy length along
with your life blood until he reaches your
breathing machinery and right here he
gets busy.
How it is he knows that just over the
hill there are rich pasture lands is not yet
announced by DR.. Stiles, but he knows, it
somehow and he Immediately ~begins'to
climb out of the lungs, up the wind pipe
hill to the cross roads, and when ne comes
TO the cross roads he falls down the other