The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1911-10-05

NAo OIL ONeT IHe state and
often men and women also, go bare
footed several months in the wear
and are seldom without ground
! itch.
Is the Disease Common?
Dub!ni. an Italian physician was
the tlrst to discover the hookworm
IN man. Ibis was in 1854. In
the mines in certain parts OF Ger
many the disease played such havoc
among the miners that no man with
hookworm disease was allowed to
Wcrk until the disease had been
cured
In America the first hookworm
was discovered by DIR. stiles of
me United States Marine Hospital |
Service. This was in 1902. When
Er. Stiles made the announcement
that many OF the people through
out the South living in the small
towns and in the country districts
were suffering with hookworm dis
ease, the papers treated the matter
as lOke ami even the physicians
DOUBTED that the disease was COM
nion. Now anyone who doubts that
nookworm disease is the most seri-
Gus problem confronting the peo-
pie of the South, either has not in
Vestlgated the matter, or is not
open to conviction.
"Fere the Disease is Found i'm the
United States.
Inc disease Is found in all of
southern states. 1t is not found
IN the Northern part of the United
states because of the cold climate.
As a rule, the disease is more COM
mon on sandy soil. In our State
The heaviest IND
lo"er counties and it grows lighter
as we go toward the northwestern
part of the State.
AS yet, we have not been able tn
Gs'lmate the number of cases of
nooKWorm disease in the State. but
10 know that the disease is much
more common than people think.
Last winter ten thousand school
children attending rural schools
were examined and over 20 per cent
or them had hookworm disease. In
'ne past two and a half months. oy-
er Two thousand cases of hookworm
u!sease have been treated in four
counties In the State.
The Age Limit.
ihere Is no age limit The dis
use is commoner between the ages
=. 1--WE and flfteen, but it occurs in
young children and in very old
Sohs. AS soon as children get
1!d enough to wear shoes ali tbe
ye~'f and thus prevent ground itch.
tney Will gradually recover from
the disease unless they are severe
~ lhIected. 1t will be noticed that
paDies in the country are usually
neahhy. When they become large
enough to run about and catch
8 rouhd Itch, they become pale and
puny' looking. They are paIe or
and have Indigestion and
other distur Dances.
How the Disease Affects n Person
Ihe symptoms of the disease vary
greatly. The disease may be so Sc
we're that we can make a diagnosis
ny sianclng at the patient, or il
may De so mild that the person ap-
pears healthy in every way In these
Eases we must use the microscope to
ns IKE diagnosis. A small portion
"a the power movement is placed un-I
uer the microscope. If the person
has hookworm disease tho epos -
the worm can be seen. The eggs of
the round worm, the. tape worm.
and other intestinal parasites can
also De found. In severe case of
hUok"orm disease the child is usu-
any small for his age. The face
is otten wrtnkled, and appears too
Old for the body. There is a
troubled or drawn expression about
the mouth. The skin is usually
lor or waxy look. The patient
yellow. 1t may have a deathly paJ-
complains of "shortness of breath ;,
OF pain In the stomach or q heavy
leelng as though he were carryine
weight in the stomach. He suffers
from indigestion and heart burn :"
headache is common. The appetite
Is yariabble; at time the patient
eats great deal and again cares
Tor nothing. Often times he will
nave fancy for clay, sand. chalk.
SCOT and saw dust. We used to
think that dirt eating caused hook
worm disease. We had the cart
before the horse. The disease cans
ing the craving for these things and
the patient is unable to resist
cure the disease and the patient
mas no desire for these things. Re
Gently a physician engaged in the
hookWorm work was told by a well
educated and highly cultured Iady
who had hookworm disease that
When the craving to eat sand came
on, she would try to get II If she
knew that she would be shot for
doing so.
The skin of the person with hook
worm disease Is usually dry and
marsh. The hair of the head is
dry and that on other parts of the
body very scant. The patient may
be very thin or may be bloated or
dropsical
When patients have lost flesh and