The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-01-09
|H|NDUs AFFLICTED
/ WITH HO0KWORM
Immigrants Imported Into Pacific
Coast Bring Deadly Scourge
With Them.
BY r. w. MADISON.


Over rs per cent of the Hindus in this
E country. and also those seeking Gu
trance. have the hookworm.
This is the startling discovery oil
DIR, M, w. Glover, In charge of the
hospital at the United States immigra-
ton station on Angel island. IL is
based on tests among the Hindus who
have landed here within the past four
months. DR.. Glover's experiments
We're made because or the great in
lux of Hindus to California, attracted
here by the wages paid them on the
section gangs OF the railroads.
There was no way TO stop these peo-
pie from coming in. The steamship
companies brought them over every
week by the hundreds, and IL was re
Gently estimated that there are at
least 10000 of them in the state OF
California alone. and half again as
many scattered over Washington and
Oregon.
DIR. Glover's testst for hookworm.
or ground itch anemia. as IL is COM
monty called, were made from groups
of Hindus selected from those brought
here from the orient. He picked out
the ones who looked as though they
had the disease and put them into one
group: those who did not appear TO
nave II in another. and then he test
cd the men for the parasite. The re-
suit was so startling even 10 the med
ical man that il resulted in many OF
the turbaned ones being deported and
the ships being carefully watched for
all others. Any immigrant having the
hookworm may be turned back from
the port he lands In by the authori-
ties. as the disease is listed as dang
erous and contagious.
"Hookworm reminds me Of the
story of the hen and the egg" said
DIR. Glover in discussing the case.
THAT is, you can't tell which came
first. the egg or the hen. All we know
is that IL is here and that IL is ex-
tremeiy dangerous. Investigations in
the south have proven this conclusive
ly. The eggs, from which the hook
worm is Matched, passes from the
body of the man suffering from the
disease, to the ground, and there the
eggs are Matched. The new born
worm is SO small that il is almost i'm
possible to detect 1t with the naked
eye. This worm, after Matching, grows
and thrives in the soil.
"A man comes past in his bare feet,
or we will say he is planting seed or
something that forces mis- bare hand
20 come in contact with the ground.
The worm in the soil fastens itself TO
the skin and gradually works its way
inside, until 1t gets into the small in.
testine Occasionally IL gets in the
stomach. II attaches itself TO TIE in
festival wall. wounds the wall and
sucks the blood and, according to
present evidence, produces poison
GUS substance. The eggs OF the worm
are sarried from the body TO the
ground and thus more OF these para
sites are produced"
Hookworm produces anemia and the
person suffering from IL is lazy and
listless, having no ambition or de-
sire to accomplish anything. Accord
ing to statistics of the Porto Riean
commission. IL was estimated that 30
per cent OF the deaths on the island
were due TO the disease.
A sample case of one group OF Hin
dus examined by DIR. Glover will show
just what kind OF people are being
Imported into the United States by
the steamship companies and the rail.
roads. Out of 13 Hindus. examined
by DR.. Glover recently. 10 were suf-
fering from hookworm and one was
lunatic. This Is not an extraordinary
case.
Since the discovery Of the disease
among these people, immigration has
fallen of in a marked degree. This
In due particularly to the steamship
companies When a ship carries a
band of diseased immigrants 10 a
part in the United States and the band
is ordered deported, they must be
returned at the company's expense.
The steamship companies, however.
have found way to insure them
selves against loss in case their pas
sengers are ordered deported. When |
a Hindu wants to come here from
Hong Kong, China, the company's
physician examines him. IL he Is
found to have any disease he Is told
SO and advised to stay in China. III
he insists, however on taking n
chance of passing. the steamship com
pany forces him to put up two fares.
One Fare is to get over and the other
for taking him back in case he Is de- /
port ed