The Marietta journal. (Marietta, Ga.) 1918-1944, 1919-07-04
Many PreytO HOOkWorl1l

has recently published textbook en-
titled Animal Parasites and Human
Disease. His chapter on Hookworm
opens as follows:
"For many years 1t was customary
in the United States to look upon
shiftless people to be found In our
South as the product of wanton lazi-
ness and an Unborn lack of ambition.
For decades the more fortunate North
erners considered the Poor whites
Of the South good-for-nothing, ire
sponsible people. worthy only Of scorn
and of the sordid poverty and igno.
rance which they brought upon them
selves as the fruits of their own shift.
lessness. When 1t became known,
largely as the result Of investigations
by DR.. C. w. Stiles, Of the United
States Public Health Service, that
these hopelessly incapable and pitiful-
ly emactated and stunted people were
the victims, not of their own unwill-
ingness to work or learn, but Of the
attacks of intestinal worms which
Slapped their vitality, poisoned their
systems, and stunted both their men
tai and physical growth. and that over
two million people in our own Southern
states were the victims Of these para
sites, the poor whites" and "lazy mig
gers" of the South became objects OF
pity and help rather than Of scorn."
Here we stop and throw aside the
book in disgust. Just another fling
at the South" says the average South
ern citizen. But those who have had
an opportunity to study the subject
find that our Northwestern friend Is
right after all.
The Rockefeller Foundation has
studied the hookworm conditions in
Georgia and in the Southeastern
states for many years and over one
million dollars have been spent by
this school Of research in the South,
in the study and treatment of Hook
work alone and over 100000 hook
worm patients have been treated. In
a recent report the following concise
description of the disease is given:
"HOokworm disease is communica-
BILE. 1t is caused by small parasitic
worm (Uhcinaria), about as thick as
an ordinary pin and about half as long.
Thousands of them may live in the in
testine of single person: in one case
more than 5000 hookworms were pass
ed by patient as result Of treat
ment. While the female produces i'm
mense numbers of eggs, these never
mature within the host, but must leave
the body with the feces before they
can hatch. Under proper conditions
of air, heat and moisture, they hatch
within the brief space of from "a to
40 hours. When once Matched, the lar
vac, or young hookworms, too small to
be seen with the naked eye, may live
on and near the surface of the ground
for many months, and so long as they
stay in the soil they remain micro
scopic in size. They get back into
the body by boring through the skin
Of the bare feet and hands or other
portions of the body which come in
contact with soil in which they ex-
list, and thus pass into the circulating
blood of the human host. Their en-
trance through the skin causes an itch
which has come to be known as
ground itch. After boring through the
skin they enter the lymphatics, are
carried through the heart, penetrate
the lungs, make their way to the
throat and are swallowed. after which
they ultimately reach the small intes-
tine. Here they grow to maturity and
remain for seven years, or more. If
not disturbed by treatment"
The hookworm lives upon the blood
of the patient, thereby lowering the
vitality and subjecting him to other
diseases, such as typhoid. malaria.
pneumonia and tuberculosis. This is
largely responsible for the greater
number of cases Of pneumonia and
other infectious diseases among
Southern recruits in our recent mill.
tary mobilization camps. One reg1-
ment recruited from two Southern
states showed hookworm infection Of
81 per cent. while another showed an
infection of 80 per cent. In both Of
these regiments an unusually high
mortality OF measles and pneumonia
resulted.
Location Of the Infection.
The hookworm infection in Georgia
is most severe in the small towns and
rural districts where no adequate sew.
erage disposal Is practiced: The dis.
ease is usually spread by focal matter
The home or school which has no prop
erly constructed privy Is very liable in
deed to Infection.
Treatment.
The treatment of hookworm Is a
very simple matter. Your State Board
of Health furnishes specimen CON
tainer, furnished to any one upon re
quest. In this container a bit Of focal
matter is sent to the laboratory and
the exact extent Of the infection de.
termined Then you are told how to
take the treatment. Later another ex.
animation will determine the success
of the treatment, but the improvement