4 ms·

Incidentally, lack of shoes was the cause of hookworm epidemic in the American south into the 20th century, and there was a (clearly) successful humanitarian ef

Incidentally, lack of shoes was the cause of hookworm epidemic in the American south into the 20th century, and there was a (clearly) successful humanitarian effort to shod southerners. Hookworm infections stunt growth, which made some southerners dwarf-like. It also saps your energy and was one of the reasons southerners were considered lazy. So yea, you want your kid to wear shoes, at least outdoors. https://www.abebooks.com/9780870496851/Disease-Distinctiveness-American-South-0870496859/plp https://www.abebooks.com/9780870496851/Disease-Distinctivene...

gregwebs 9y ago
You might instead consider if it is possible to go outside and avoid stepping in human feces (which is how hookworm is transmitted) [1]. Presumably in the American south in the 20th century people were defecating in common outdoor areas. [1] https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/hookworm/gen_info/faqs.html https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/hookworm/gen_info/faqs.html
- thesmallestcat 9y ago
  Dog and cat feces too. Ever seen that on the ground? Also, San Francisco :) Edit: Also, no, outhouses were the norm in the American south. That doesn't mean their environs were sanitary though, and this was indeed where people picked up hookworm. As far as I know, the only times Americans would/will defecate in the open was on the frontier/in the wilderness, that is, when no other options exist. In spite of the meme that Americans are not so different from some people in rural India who defecate in their own water supply, one of the first things built in a given American frontier settlement was an outhouse, because poop is gross and toxic.
  - sooheon 9y ago
    Let's just be clear, Americans as a people really are "not so different" from people in rural India. It's the environments that differ. The American West always had more than enough acres of land that people could spare a pit + outhouse on top of it, and rural India is... well, crowded. It's not as if rural Indians are innately unsanitary people who will seek out water sources to shit in.
  - maxerickson 9y ago
    It'd be pretty interesting to see the present day incidence in animals, looked after and stray. I wouldn't be surprised if it were rather low in both groups.

gregwebs 9y ago

You might instead consider if it is possible to go outside and avoid stepping in human feces (which is how hookworm is transmitted) [1]. Presumably in the American south in the 20th century people were defecating in common outdoor areas. [1] https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/hookworm/gen_info/faqs.html https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/hookworm/gen_info/faqs.html

thesmallestcat 9y ago
Dog and cat feces too. Ever seen that on the ground? Also, San Francisco :) Edit: Also, no, outhouses were the norm in the American south. That doesn't mean their environs were sanitary though, and this was indeed where people picked up hookworm. As far as I know, the only times Americans would/will defecate in the open was on the frontier/in the wilderness, that is, when no other options exist. In spite of the meme that Americans are not so different from some people in rural India who defecate in their own water supply, one of the first things built in a given American frontier settlement was an outhouse, because poop is gross and toxic.
- sooheon 9y ago
  Let's just be clear, Americans as a people really are "not so different" from people in rural India. It's the environments that differ. The American West always had more than enough acres of land that people could spare a pit + outhouse on top of it, and rural India is... well, crowded. It's not as if rural Indians are innately unsanitary people who will seek out water sources to shit in.
- maxerickson 9y ago
  It'd be pretty interesting to see the present day incidence in animals, looked after and stray. I wouldn't be surprised if it were rather low in both groups.