HEALTH AND DISEASE 309 



acute local infection results in two to five days. Pus streams from the in- 

 fected surface. In the male the infection occurs in the urethra, the passage 

 leading to the bladder. The raw and inflamed surface gives rise to intense 

 pain during urination. The infection may travel into the generative ap- 

 paratus or even up to the kidneys. 



In women the infection starts in the vagina and from there extends to the 

 uterus. It spreads further and passes into the Fallopian tubes and through 

 them to the peritoneum lining the abdominal cavity. The inflammation 

 of the tubes causes them to be closed by the formation of scars; sterility 

 results. 



Gonorrhea, like syphilis, may be transmitted from the mother to the 

 baby. The transmission is effected only during the birth of the child. As 

 the baby passes down through the vagina the infected pus is forced into its 

 eyes. At one time about a quarter of the blindness throughout the world 

 resulted from gonorrheal infection. There is a prophylactic treatment by 

 which gonorrhea of the eyes can be prevented. Most states in this country 

 require by law that this prophylactic treatment shall be given as a routine 

 part of post-natal care. The laws designed to prevent venereal blindness 

 are enacted for economic reasons; the blind are in most cases dependent 

 upon the state for support. 



-^ s ^ ^ ^ ^ 



ANIMAL PARASITES TRANSMISSIBLE TO MAN * 



BENJAMIN SCHWARTZ 



INTRODUCTION 



Practically all vertebrate animals serve as hosts to parasites, and Homo 

 sapiens is not an exception to this general rule. Actually man is an excellent 

 host for various protozoan, helminth and arthropod parasites, the species 

 adapted to live on or in human beings totaling several hundred. There is 

 hardly an organ, tissue or cavity in the human body that is immune to the 

 attacks of one kind of parasite or another. Such vital organs as the liver, 

 spleen, lungs, heart, brain, eyes and others too numerous to mention are 

 susceptible to invasion by parasites that are capable of inflicting serious 

 damage to the parts of the body that are invaded. 



Human beings acquire parasites through some form of contamination, 

 usually traceable to soil pollution, through the consumption of raw food 

 of animal origin, and in other ways. In parts of the world where sanitation 

 and hygienic standards are far below the levels that are accepted in most 

 civilized countries, parasites that are acquired through contaminated food 



• Reprinted by permission of the Scientific Monthly, American Association for the 

 Advancement of Science. Copyright 1938. 



