American Murderer: The Parasite that Haunted the South

by Gail Jarrow

Overview

Included on NPR's 2022 "Books We Love" List
Finalist, 2023 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction 
ALSC Notable Children's Book

What made workers in the American South so tired and feeble during the 19th and early 20th centuries? This exciting medical mystery uncovers the secrets of the parasite hookworm, commonly known as the “American Murderer,” and is the latest title in Gail Jarrow’s (YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults award-winning author) Medical Fiascoes series.

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 US, the parasite remains a serious health problem throughout the world. The topic of this STEM book remains relevant and will fascinate readers interested in medicine, science, history—and gross stories about bloodsucking creatures.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781635928297
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	09/27/2022
Series:	Medical Fiascoes
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	913,169
Lexile:	1080L (what's this?)
File size:	95 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	10 - 17 Years

About the Author

Gail Jarrow's books have earned a YALSA Award for Excellece in Nonfiction for Young Adults award, Sibert Honor, Orbis Pictus Honor, YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults finalist, a Notable Social Studies Trade Book, NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book and Best STEM book, The Jefferson Cup Award, a Eureka! Gold Award, as well as Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal Best Books and VOYA Honor Book distinctions. She lives in Ithaca, New York. Visit gailjarrow.com.

Read an Excerpt

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1 VAMPIRE 8
Chapter 2 WORM SCIENTIST 11 
Chapter 3 UNLOCKING SECRETS 21 
Chaoter 4 THE LAZINESS GERM 34 
ALL ABOUT HOOKWORMS 42 
Chapter 5 BATTLING NECATOR 46
Chapter 6 “SKIDOO, HOOKWORM” 59 
Chapter 7 HOOKWORM SOCIALS 72 
Chapter 8 THE PRIVY PROBLEM 90 
Chapter 9 A CURSE IS LIFTED 103 
Chapter 10 THE BLOODSUCKER LIVES ON 114 
TIMELINE 124 
GLOSSARY 128 
MORE TO EXPLORE 131 
AUTHOR’S NOTE 132
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 134 
SOURCE NOTES 136 
BIBLIOGRAPHY 142 
INDEX 149 
PICTURE CREDITS 152

CHAPTER ONE: VAMPIRE

“The disease . . . is primarily a ‘poor man’s’ malady.”
—Charles Stiles, American scientist

EARLY ONE MORNING IN NOVEMBER 1908, A TRAIN SLOWED down to pick up passengers at a southern railroad station. Peering through his railcar’s window, a traveler from Iowa pointed to a deathly pale, hunched-over figure standing on the station platform.

“What on earth is that?” he asked his two companions, wondering what could make a young man look so emaciated and broken down.

His friend, who had grown up in the South, explained that the man was probably one of the local tenant farmers.
The Iowan was shocked. He was used to the robust look of midwestern farmers.

“If he represents Southern farm labor the South is in poor luck,” he said.

The third traveler, a scientist, had seen many similar people. In fact, he had been studying them for several years, and he knew exactly what was wrong with the man on the platform. He informed his friends that they were looking at a victim of America’s bloodsucking murderer.

This vampire thrived in the warm southern climate. It lurked on the ground outside rural homes, schools, and churches. Invisible to its potential victims, it waited until one of them passed by. Undetected, it hitched a ride, burrowed in through the skin, and tricked the person’s body into allowing it to stay. The intruder hid deep in the host’s gut for years, anchored in place by sharp fang-like mouthparts.

Day by day, one drop at a time, the vampire devoured blood from its unsuspecting victim. At first the person suffered few ill effects. But when more invaders followed —and they usually did—his or her body became home to hundreds, sometimes thousands, of the tiny creatures.

Before long, the daily blood loss was enough to weaken and sicken the host. The person was transformed into a dull-witted, frail individual with a blank stare and shuffling gait—just like the man on the platform.

The scientist had learned many of the American Murderer’s secrets. He understood how it attacked the human body. He was aware of the damage it did. And he was convinced the vampire could be stopped—must be stopped!—from slowly sucking the life and energy out of millions of men, women, and children. He was determined to end this medical fiasco—one that most of America didn’t know existed.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Vampire 8

Chapter 2 Worm Scientist 11

Chapter 3 Unlocking Secrets 21

Chapter 4 The Laziness Germ 34

All About Hookworms 42

Chapter 5 Battling Necator 46

Chapter 6 "Skidoo, Hookworm" 59

Chapter 7 Hookworm Socials 72

Chapter 8 The Privy Problem 90

Chapter 9 A Guise Is Lifted 103

Chapter 10 The Bloodsucker Lives on 114

Timeline 124

Glossary 128

More to Explore 131

Author's Note 132

Acknowledgments 134

Source Notes 136

Bibliography 142

Index 149

Picture Credits 152

Editorial Reviews

08/01/2022

Jarrow (Ambushed!) chronicles the discovery of a deadly parasitic hookworm, the campaign that endeavored to control it, and the epidemic’s social implications in this prodigious work, part of the Medical Fiascoes series, which recounts U.S. public health crises occurring in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1902, zoologist Charles Stiles encountered a hookworm pervading the Deep South and named it Necator americanus, or “American murderer.” The parasite spread through human feces and emaciated its victims, who numbered nearly three million. Believing hookworm was “an inevitable ailment of the poor class,” middle- and upper-class white Southerners opposed treatment efforts. Stiles attempted to change their minds by manipulating their racial prejudices, stating that Black people “were better adapted to the parasite and more immune to its most harmful effects”—since it was thought to have originated in West Africa. Scientific and societal intersections are only summarily explored in this introspective work, which features straightforward prose and informative sidebars detailing other historical Southern maladies and the scientists who studied them. Photographs, diagrams, and microscopic slides are included throughout; a timeline, glossary, and additional information conclude. Ages 10–17. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

School Library Journal Best Book
NSTA/CBC Best STEM Book
NSTA/CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book
CCBC Choices 2023
Eureka! Nonfiction Silver Honor Award (California Reading Association)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book
Evanston (IL) Public Library's 101 Great Books for Kids 2022
Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List

★ "Jarrow’s impeccable research and fascinating details will keep [readers] hooked, especially when they discover that this creature, known as Necator americanus—the American murderer—is a hookworm that once plagued the South...Numerous archival photos place readers in the time period, while a concluding chapter looks at ongoing parasitic-worm dangers across the globe...An engrossing blend of history and STEM." —Booklist, starred review

“Jarrow continues her 'Medical Fiascoes' series with this concise yet fascinating history of hookworm disease in the American South… with her usual flair, Jarrow highlights the science of hookworms, which has plenty of gross appeal to keep ­readers engaged.  An excellent addition for middle and high school students." —School Library Journal

"Jarrow’s coverage of the biological mystery is well-organized and deftly explained, and she also skillfully handles the social context of a condition that largely affected marginalized populations. Readers who wish to delve deeper into the topic are assisted by a glossary, bibliography and website list, source notes, timeline, index, and author’s note on research." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"The title is a literal translation of the hookworm’s scientific name Necator americanus, but the lurid details don’t stop there as Jarrow goes on to expand...accounts of the creepy creature’s life cycle and the discovery of just how disturbingly prevalent 'America’s bloodsucking murderer' was in the South in the 19th and early 20th centuries... [A] searching look at the borders between science and society." —Kirkus Reviews

"Scientific and societal intersections are...explored in this introspective work, which features straightforward prose and informative sidebars detailing other historical Southern maladies and the scientists who studied them. Photographs, diagrams, and microscopic slides are included throughout; a timeline, glossary, and additional information conclude." —Publishers Weekly

"Jarrow...who has carved out a niche for herself in the history of science and medicine, here adeptly weaves solid research, primary-source quotes, and historical artifacts with elements of mystery for a compelling read." —The Horn Book

From the Publisher

09/01/2022

Gr 5–9—Jarrow continues her "Medical Fiascoes" series with this concise yet fascinating history of hookworm disease in the American South. By the early 20th century, large populations in the South were suffering from an unknown illness that left them emaciated, anemic, and unable to work. This was primarily occurring in rural poor communities. At the time, hookworm disease was largely unknown and rarely diagnosed by American doctors, despite it occurring for several decades in the South as well as in other countries. One doctor, Charles Stiles, a renowned parasitologist who worked for the USDA and later the Public Health Service, found that it was easy to diagnose, treat, and prevent. He dedicated much of his career to educating people about this debilitating illness. He faced obstacles on multiple fronts, including cultural resistance to outsiders, economic obstacles to updating sanitary conditions, and his less than charming personality that did not win him many supporters. For the first half of the book, with her usual flair, Jarrow highlights the science of hookworms, which has plenty of gross appeal to keep readers engaged. The second half is equally intriguing as she focuses on Stiles's tireless efforts along with the cultural and historical aspects of the period. VERDICT An excellent addition for middle and high school students.—Karen T. Bilton

School Library Journal

2022-07-13
A case study of a public health campaign that attempted to control a debilitating disease, with only partially successful results—sound familiar?

The title is a literal translation of the hookworm’s scientific name Necator americanus, but the lurid details don’t stop there as Jarrow goes on to expand her 2003 title Hookworms with accounts of the creepy creature’s life cycle and the discovery of just how disturbingly prevalent “America’s bloodsucking murderer” was in the South in the 19th and early 20th centuries. She chronicles canny efforts, which began in 1909 as an initiative of the Rockefeller Sanitary Commission, first to galvanize those who were afflicted with hookworms to accept treatment and then to educate them about the necessity of proper human waste disposal to prevent reinfection—attempts that were initially met with skepticism. With portraits of prominent researchers and images of the toothy terror mixed in, the illustrations also include period photos of victims, many with symptomatically wasted bodies and bulging eyes. These last give powerful visual dimension to the story, but sharper viewers will notice that images of White individuals predominate. Though the author acknowledges the reality of segregation and discrimination—including the assumption that African Americans were not as susceptible to hookworm—she does not fully unpack the issue, implied by the illustrations, that the campaign leaned more toward White populations. Still, if reading that the infection rate dropped from an estimated 37% overall to 11% by 1940 may look like failure to readers expecting another tidy wipeout like the (supposed) eradication of smallpox, that’s many thousands of lives saved or improved. And if today, in many parts of the world, as she claims at the end, “the worms are winning,” here at least is a partial victory to celebrate.

Despite the odd blink, a searching look at the borders between science and society. (timeline, glossary, websites, author’s note, source notes, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 11-15)

Kirkus Reviews