A CLINICAL STUDY OF HOOKWORM INFECTION IN THE 



PHILIPPINES/ 



By LiBOEio Gomez. 

 {From the Biological Laboratory, Bureau of Science, Manila, P. I.) 



The greater part of the work which has been done in relation to infec- 

 tions with hookworm has been statisticaL Thus the publications of 

 Garrison, (1) Eissler and Gomez, (2) Bowman, (3) and Willetsl*) have 

 established the varying percentages of infection in difEerent parts of 

 the Philippine Islands. 



The investigation which is the subject of this paper was undertaken 

 mainly to determine the effect of the hookworm on Filipinos and to 

 determine whether there is any immunity enjoyed by the race, com- 

 parable to that of the NegTos in Porto Eico, in the soiithern United 

 States, and in Africa. 



MATERIAL AND METHODS. 



A series of twenty-six cases was studied clinically, and subjected to 

 a careful examination of the blood and urine. 



The clinical examination included questions of 'the occurrence of 

 previous diseases which would be likely to produce ancemia, such as 

 tuberculosis, malaria, or" dysentery, and queries as to present complaints. 

 A close examination of the conjunctiva was also made because by this 

 means the best evidence of pallor in dark-skinned people can be at- 

 tained, and evidence was secured as to the presence of diseases of the 

 lungs, heart, liver, spleen, stomach, and skin that are likely to produce 

 eosinophilia. 



The blood was examined for hsemoglobin by the Tallquist method 

 and the erythrocytes and leucocytes estimated quantitatively. Wright's 

 stain was used in the differential count of the leucocytes, from 300 to 

 800 leucocytes being counted in each case and care taken to examine 

 the edges as well as the center of the smear. 



The urine was tested for albumin by means of the heat acetic acid 



^Read at the Eighth Annual Meeting of the Philippine Islands Medical As- 

 sociation, February 24, 1911. 



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