‘BIDDING THE SICKNESS
CEASE.

The report of the Rockefeller Founda)
tion ‘dealing with the progress of. the
work which it is doing throughout th
world in eombating such diseases a
malaria and hookworm covers up in busi¥
‘ness language a story of unselfish devo
tion. In most of the disease-ridden parts
of the world are to be found ‘yepresenta-
tives of the International Health Board}
patiently and tactfully going about the
difficult’ task of inculeating the ele;
mentary principles of hygiene in thd
minds of people who have always looke:
on disease as an affliction for which)
there is no remedy but to placate the
evil spirits by magic. Aside from the.
natural unwillingness of native tribes!
to put more faith in the white man’s
magic than in their own, the representa-
tives of the Rockefeller Foundation have
had to overcome the hostility of the tribal
medicine men and chieftains, and im some
eases have even had to allay the sus-
picions of European Governments in
whose colonial possessions health work
has been undertaken.

For these reasons fighting hookworm:
in the tropics has been even harder than
here in the United States. To the credit
of the doctors in charge of the work :t
must be said that. the progress has'
been highly satisfactory. After stilling!
the prejudices of local officials th
health workers have been faced with
the need of breaking through the apath
and disbélief of the natives i apathy
from the disease. In some cases this has
been done-by giving lectures with lantern
slides, and, after converting the villag
headmen, using. them as uiouthpieces t
further the instruction. The difficulty
of making these talks clear, however;
has sometimes prevented. the successfu
spreading of the good tidings that a cure
was -at hand for all who suffered. The
best proof, of course, was the physical
condition of men who had taken th
treatment and shortly afterward began
to put on weight and regain their vita

‘ity. These se convinted the doubters .

 

 

   
 
 
  
   
 
   
 
   
   

  

 
 

that.the white men had“ good niedicine.”
The real trouble-lay’ in} convincing the
natives that there was, ‘direct relation
between unsanitary drainage and hook-
worm. The problem-was ‘the compata-
tively simple-ope of showing how the
worms passed out of the uman body, re-_
entered through the barefeet and gradu- .
ally worked ‘their way into the intestines.
When one of the doctors found that, as.
a rule, it was possible to take up a
handful. of dirt from the! ground in front
of: almost any native | | house and by
wetting it show the tiny] grubs alive and
wriggling, it did not take long to con-
vince the people that it was necessary
to do everything to rid the earth of these
creatures. Once the idea was under-
stood it passed with great rapidity by
‘word of mouth, and the changes which
the Foundation’s. doctors recommended
ing the village sanitary ‘arrangements
were soon effected.

The Rockefeller Foundation’s annual
report, dealing in large! figures and ren-
dering an accounting, B always an im-
pressive document. Some time the story
will be told of the aflventures of ‘the
men who did the work that the report
summarizes, and of their hardships and
their splendid devotion; This if a chap-
ter in “American -altrpism with’ which
our own public, as well as the world in
general, is as yet too little familiar.