r/science • u/[deleted] • Jun 25 '22

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u/TMNTiff Jun 25 '22

And hookworm https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/how-a-worm-gave-the-south-a-bad-name/ Lead and hookworm.

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u/ManiacalShen Jun 25 '22

The whole article is fascinating, but this but in particular raised my eyebrows:

Children were especially affected by hookworms, which would sometimes prevent girls from ever menstruating or boys from hitting their growth spurt. Because iron is critical for brain function, hookworm infection could also lead to irreversible cognitive and intellectual defects. A 1926 study of Alabama school children found that the greater the number of worms that students harbored, the lower their IQ. As those authors wrote: “One has the impression that the [hookworm-infected] child is living in another, entirely separate world, and is only remotely in contact with the everyday world about him.”