02882cam a2200469 i 4500 607974818 TxGeo 20221014120000.0 220131s2022||||||||||||||||||||||||eng|u 2022004007 9781684378159 hbk. 168437815X hbk. TxGeo rda Jarrow, Gail, author. American murderer : the parasite that haunted the South / by Gail Jarrow. Medical fiascoes series. First edition. New York, NY : Calkins Creek, an imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers, 2022. 159 pages : color illustrations ; 27 cm. txt rdacontent n rdamedia nc rdacarrier sti rdacontent n rdamedia nc rdacarrier Medical fiascoes Includes bibliographical references and index. Vampire -- Worm scientist -- Unlocking secrets -- The laziness germ : all about hookworms -- Battling Necator -- "Skidoo, hookworm" -- Hookworm socials -- The privy problem -- A curse is lifted -- The bloodsucker lives on. "Imagine microscopic worms living in the soil. They enter your body through your bare feet, travel to your intestines, and stay there for years sucking your blood like vampires. You feel exhausted. You get sick easily. It sounds like a nightmare, but that's what happened in the American South during the 1800s and early 1900s. Doctors never guessed that hookworms were making patients ill, but zoologist Charles Stiles knew better. Working with one of the first public health organizations, he and his colleagues treated the sick and showed Southerners how to protect themselves by wearing shoes and using outhouses so that the worms didn't spread. Although hookworm was eventually controlled in the United States, the parasite remains a serious health problem throughout the world. The topic of this STEM book remains relevant and will fascinate young readers interested in medicine, science, history-and gross stories about bloodsucking creatures"-- Provided by publisher. Ages 10-17 Calkins Creek. Grades 7-9 Calkins Creek. 20221216. Stiles, Charles Wardell 1867-1941. Hookworm disease Southern States Prevention History 19th century. Hookworm disease Southern States Prevention History 20th century. Public health Southern States History 19th century. Public health Southern States History 20th century. Necator americanus Southern States. Biographies. Medical fiascoes. QS5