Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-11-20
HOOK WORM HAS,
I BELT AROUND ROUND
.If1Nl'T |
By C. S. ALBERT.
oeciai Star- Bulletin Correspohdencel

II i
WASHINGTON, D. c., Nov. e.
The insidicus and persistent hook
worm. which spreads the germ Of
laziness and makes the indolent less
energetic, now encircles the entire
globe. Its infection surrounds the
earth in zone between the parallels
OF SO degrees north and 80 degrees
south latitude, being present to a
greater or less extent in all countries
within those limits.
For the benefit of immigration Off
Gals everywhere the authorities here
rhave issued circular containing
facts and figures taken from data COL
lected by the Rockefeller Sanitary
Commission for the Eradication of
Heokworm. Inquiries have been
made in all foreign countries. In Co
lombia and on many plantations in
Ceylon the rate of infection reaches
80 per cent In Natal so per cent of
the coolie laborers on sugar and tea
estates are infected, with the disease
spreading among natives and Euro
peans. The southern two-thirds OF
China are involved, with the infec-
ton in many places running as high
as. 70 per cent. 49,. >. -. +,
The disease is widely prevalent in
the japanese, empire. Although 4e1-
act figures cannot be given, the per-
centage. Of. infection in. that, country.
Is, believed to be high. Also in the
Philippines 80 per cent and Samoa 20.
per cent were reported, probably
much higher as a whole. :, 81
Experts of all countries are agreed
that the anaemics condition caused by
the hookwprmt parasite is an enor-
nous economic loss, in that it depre-
ciates the, working value, of !, the. la,
boring population from, SO to so per
cent, and is a large. factor in retard-
ing the development Of the eornnpuni-.
ties where 1t, exists Nor is the loss
economic only; but racial as well;
Acute disease may strengthen a race
by. killing of the weak; but hookWorm
disease, Is chronic. and works subtly
through long periods of time. SO that
its cumulative results, PHYSICAL intel-
iectHaI, economic and moral, !, are,
handed down as increasing handbags
from generation to generation. This
result is especially to be observed in
such countries as Egypt, India and
China, which have suffered heavy
for centuries.
In our own country, DR.. Herbert
Gum, special inspector for the Cali
fornia state board of health, in his re-
port on ,hookworm. infection in the
mines of. that state, says: There is
no question that the general efficiency
of the men is noticably impaired. At
one mine; employing about 300 men,
it was stated that reserve fIabout
rs men had to be available to replace
those who on account of sickness did
not appear for work. Several of those
who were unable to work stated that
when they arrived at the mines they
were perfectly strong and well. The
greatest loss to mine operators is
oeeasioned by the large number Of
workmen who are moderately affect
ed by the hookworm. A loss of copper
cent In. efficiency of those infected
would be a conservative estimate,
That would mean, for instance, in "a
mine where 300 men are employed
at an average of about $2.504 a day,
and. estimating the number, of those,
as low as so per cent, loss
of nearly $4,000 a year
This estimate is for one mine.
Infection is present, also, among az
ricultural laborers of that state"