308 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION D. 



In 1902 T. L. Bancroft (A.M.G., 1902, p. 66) called attention 

 toLooss's discovery of infection by Ankylostoma through the skin, 

 and stated that cases which had occurred in two families at Decep- 

 tion Bay could be explained in a similar way, viz., by foot-infection. 

 He referred to the lack of sanitary conveniences and to the want 

 of covering on the feet of the children. 



There do not appear to be any further references until 1906, 

 when Hamilton-Kenny (A.M.G., 1906, p. 399) furnished notes on 

 an outbreak in Gympie, where five cases were treated. Conditions 

 similar to those mentioned by Bancroft were found in this locality 

 also. 



In 1908 Macdonald (Lancet, 11th Jan., 1908) referred to the 

 prevalence of and effects due to A. duodenale in Northern Queens- 

 land, while O'Brien (A.M.G., 1908, p. 122) mentioned that'^it was 

 quite common in Cairns district, remarking at the same time that 

 he believed the hookworm in Australia to be different to the Old 

 World parasite, A. duodenale, and the American hookworm Necator 

 americanns. 



In 1909 a fairly comprehensive paper by Salter appeared in the 

 Aust. Med. Gaz., 1909, p. 352-6, abstracted in Inter. Med. Jour. 

 Austr., 1909, p. 423. In this he gives the number of cases treated 

 in Brisbane Hospital between 1900 and 1909, and mentioned 

 infected localities. He quotes many of the earlier cases and refers 

 to work in Porto Rico and elsewhere, making special reference to 

 Looss's discovery. He emphasises the danger of coming into 

 contact with contaminated surface-soil. In the paper (p. 355) he 

 makes mention of Bancroft's finding of Necator americanus in 

 Queensland. In the same year Turner (A.M.G., 1909, p. 351) called 

 attention to the wide distribution of ankylostoma along the 

 Queensland coast as well as the northern rivers of New South Wales. 

 The fact that the infected children are generally barefoot and belong 

 to homes where sanitary conveniences are lacking strongly supports 

 Looss's view of skin-infection. Halford, Gibson, P. Bancroft and 

 Robertson (A.M.G., 1909, p. 391) all briefly refer to the occurrence 

 of this parasite in the northern State. Other references include 

 those of Johnston [loc. cit. 1909, 1910). A few records of A. duo- 

 denale and Necator americanus are re-published in Jour. Trop. Med. 

 Hyg. XII., 1909, p. 348. 



From a consideration of the above it will be seen that the 

 infected district is very extensive, that the infection is confined 

 mainly to children who live in rural districts, who go barefoot and 

 whose homes do not possess sanitary conveniences. The evidence 

 also still further proves the value of thymol in cases of ankylo- 

 stomiasis, a fact already well known from the report of the Porto 

 Rico Commission. 



7. Necator Americanus Stiles. The American hookworm was 

 identified by Sandwith and Leiper in some material sent by Dr. T. 



