El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-01-20
By
Frederic
J. Haskin

claIly to children. Like pelIagra. the
nooKWOrm accounts for symptoms and
diseases formerly known by various
names Thus, the weir known Mssitude
and aversion to labor characteristic OF
certain classes of whites and negroes
IN the south may be ascribed to the
hoOkWorm, which has so vitiated their
systems, poisoned their tissues, and de-
strOyed their vitality. Although IT has
oeen humorously termed the lazy bug"
and the lazy germ" the hOOkworm is
no Joke Even the dirt eater is now
thought to represent the typical ex-
IRENE case of hOOkWorm disease.
The patient usually is retarded in de-
VeIOpment, both physical and mental
ana SHOWS more or less extreme
anem1a- A person 81 years old may ap-
pear not better developed than one of
II TO Is years old. The skin is dry.
and there Is a noticeable absence of
preparation The color may be waxy
white to dirty yellow, 1t has a resem-
Dlance TO tallow, especially on looking
through the superficial layer down into
deeper layer The hair of the head
IS dry, reminding one Of hemp. The
beard may be very late and seaut of
growth If a skin wound is present. it
IS nkely TO be slow in healing.
Many persons either show tibial
uIcers)or give a history of such LESSONS.
me 1ace shows an anxious, oftimes
stupid expression. Dark lines under
the eyes are common. The pupils show
a tendency to dilatation, even when
racing strong light. Many patients
exhibit a peculiar blank stare and night
Dllndness IS reported in a number of
instances The chest may be so ema-
Grated that the ribs stand out very
prominently The shoulders drOop and
are thrown forward and the shoulder
DIades stand out prominently.
Features Of the MaIady.
IN many instances the abdomen fs
swollen This condition is known 10
cdIy as pot belly" 'buttermilk belly
or 'shad belly" The appetite varies
exceedingly. There is a decided de-
veIopment Of an unusual desire for Ger
tain articles of food, such as pickles.
eOffee berries, lemons and in the dfrec
tlon or dirt eating'-that Is. the pa-
tlent may devour sand, clay, chimney
SCOT, plaster, cotton and wool. DR..
Stiles tells Of one case where a bov
affIicted with hOokworm disease ate
three coats, thread by thread, in one
years time. He traces to these abnor-
NAL appetites the practice of snuff
| chewing or dipping" so comnOn in
certain localities in the south
There are undoubtedly tens of thou
sands OF cases of hookWorn disease in
| the southern states. although not
necessarily fatal in the sense thai 9TH
er great plaques and pests are fatal.
| there can be little doubt that hook
worm offers a dreadful menace to life
and happiness. Thousands are literal
| ~ dragging out a miserable existence
with one foot in the grave. The prf-
| mary cause of hOokWorm infection is
/ undoubtedly soil pollution. The blacks
are VIGOROUSLY careless and uncIeanIy
when left to themselves on plantations
or in rural life. Cesspools form pro-
life breeding places for the larvae
/ and 1t is among the poorer classes that
| the dread disease IS most rife.
The Treatment.
The treatment is basec first and
| foremost on an eradication of the para
| site. After that is accomplished. at
! tention may be given to treating the
/ victim and building him up. The best
| remedies discovered thus far are doses
| OF Epson salts followed by judiciOus-
ly graduated doses OF thymoI-of
1 course. administered under the direc-
! ton and care Of a properly qualified
| physician. since an overdose of thymOI
may result in the death of the patient
! 1t is found that without so much as
| guessing that there is anything the
matter with him. the negro is able to
! carry about with him a number of
/ hookworms that would lay a white
man in his bed and a white child in
! his grave. 1t has been fairly assumed
| that in the beginning the negroes
! brought the hoOkWOrm with them from
Africa on the slave ships, and it has
remained with them ever since This
is part of the price of slavery that
/ has fallen on the white man and his
! children, for wherever the whites have
/ followed the negro on plantations that
| he titled in slave days, aneInia with
1 broken out among them, and it now
numbers 100000 cases in the south
Rockefeller Commission.
John D. Rockefeller in 1909 an
hounced his intention to give 81 90 uo0
4 for the investigation, eradication and
/ prevention of the hOokworm, thus
| founding the hOOkworm commission
/ This commission with ample funds at
/ its command. proposes to thoroughly
| cover the worst infected states in the
south, township by township. employ
/ ing large force of expert physicians
and inspectors, visiting remote or isO-
! lated country settlements and the lone
! ly "shacks" of negroes and poor whites,
I giving the regular thymol treatment
| to those suffering from hOOkwOrm I'M
! til cured, and endeavOring to gradually
/ eradicate the disorder by cleaning up
unsanitary surroundings, teaching do
/ nestle hygiene and intoxicating more
! civilized personal habits. BY this dual
line of treatment-both curative and
preventive-it is Confidently predicted
/ that within a few years the dread hook
worm disease will be numbered among
/ the departed scourges OF humanity.
! Tomorrow-InfantIle Paralysis.