The Dissemination of Human Helminthic Infections by Animals

an address at the Royal Sanitary Institute on April 26th, 1922, stated that recent observation by American workers had shown the pig to be a disseminator of hookworm larvae. In the annual report of the work done in the hookworm laboratory of the Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine during 1921, issued by the Indian Tea Association on May 10th, 1922, Dr. R. Borland McVail writes: " In view of the fact that pigs are sometimes alleged to spread hookworm disease, we tried to infect some young pigs by means of larvae of human hookworm. The results were negative and as the Indian village pig is a natural scavenger and devourer of refuse, including faecal matter, it is probable that the presence of pigs in a village or in garden lines does more good than harm." In the tea garden practice which I supervise in Cachar it is a very noticeable fact that the most unhealthy gardens are those where coolies are allowed to keep pigs. My most unhealthy garden, which has usually the unenviable distinction of being on Government's " Black List." has at present a human population of 465, composed chiefly of Bhuiya and Chamar castes, and a pig population of over 200. Practically every coolie on this garden over five years of age shows signs and symptoms of anaemia. The vital statistics of this garden for the past seven years have been:?