The newest installment of Jarrow’s “Medical Fiascoes” series delves into the devastating impact and attempted eradication of hookworm in the American South. The species in question, Necator americanus, or “American murderer,” was discovered by epidemiologist Charles Wardell Stiles. Thriving in warm climates, the hookworm larva enters the body via the skin—often of bare feet—and travels in the bloodstream to the lungs, where it exits the capillaries and is swallowed. Once in the small intestine, it attaches itself and grows to maturity on the blood of its host. Dubbed “the lazy germ” by journalists, hookworm caused debilitating weakness and stunted growth in its victims. Because the eggs are expelled in feces, the primary cause of its spread in poor, rural Southern communities in the 19th and early 20th centuries was poorly built outhouses. In 1909, the Rockefeller Sanitary Commission was established to educate, test, and treat the public as well as advocate for improved sanitation systems. Facing resistance from the public, journalists, and even medical professionals along the way, their efforts were moderately successful. Like the others in the series, this account provides necessary social and cultural context alongside robust (and horrifying) medical and scientific information.    (Age 11 and older)