The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1911-06-17

The existence of hook worm dis
ease in Louisiana liz no more a sub
Ject of conjecture; its presence has
been positively demonstrated in
every parish in the State in which
careful investigation has been made
The only question ut present is the
extent of the infection. Our present
knowledge convinces us that it is
much more prevalent than supposed,
hut the exact degree of infection can
be determined only by systematic
investigation by a corps of trained
medical men in the field. The Lou
isiaua State Board of Health, realiz-
ing the gravity of this disease, and
the factorit is in increasing the death
rate and decreasing the earning ca
pacitv OF the people, particularly
that portion OF the population which
Is the backbone not only Of the State
but the nation, namely, the farmer,
among whom the disease is more
prevalent, has,with the cooperation
OF the Rockefeller Sanitary Commits
sion, innuguruted an active CAIN
paign for it's eradication.
The Rockefeller Sanitary Commits
sion IL an organization created for
the express purpose of eradicate
hook worm disease. Realizing that
the most effective way to accomplish
results is through already organized
agencies, mainly boards Of health,
the Commission offered its service to
the health authorities in the several
Southern States. The first State to
anvil itself of this offer of the Com
mission WAS Virginia, and an active
campaign was begun in that State
in February, 1910. Since that time
nine Southern States have awaited
themselves of this valuable oppOr-
tunity, and are now conducting an
aggressive campaign against hook
worm disease. Louisiana was the
Inst of these nine Southern States TO
begin work. On November 1, 1910.
the State director was appointed,
and ns the first duty of the director
is to determine the distribution and
degree of the Infection, his time has
been spent in the field. Since his APP
pointment he has visited thirty-one
(31D parishes and has demonstrated
positively the existence of the disease
in every parish visited, the degree of
the injection varying from less than
10 per cent in some parishes to more
than 80 per cent in Others. This
preliminary SURVEY revealed the |
heaviest infection in the hill parishes |
of nurth and central Louisiana, and |
i'm the Florida parishes, where the |
detail work for the cure and proven
ion will be undertaken at once. On !
February LIST, Drs. Thos. E. Wright |
and A. s. j. Hyde were appointed |
sanitary Inspectors for the State
Board of Health, and will devote
their undivided time to hook worm |
disease-Dr. Wright i'm north Louisi-
ana, and DR.. Hyde in the FLORIDA
parishes.
The State Board of Health in keep |
ing with the policies of the health !
authorities in all the other Southern
States believes that publicity with |
an expressed determination to eradi- |
cate this disease is the best policy. |
The Board appeals to every public
spirited citizen, particularly the doc
tors. the ministers, the press. the De-
pnrtment of Education, and an other
organized agencies, for their co-opera-
ton in our efforts to eliminate dis
ease which has been proven to be
greatly decreasing the efficiency of
our Southern manhood and retard-
ing the physical, mental and moral
growth nj our children.
THE HOOK WORM.
The hook worm is n small parasite,
one-half to three-quarters of an inch
in length and rs large in diameter
as a coarse horse hair or small pin.