If You're Lazy, You Might Have This Parasite Inside You

man look at you sitting around all day like a bump on a log you're about as lazy as a slot and frankly your test scores in school have been dropping as well it ain't looking good for your future but what if we told you that it wasn't your fault what if we told you that this laziness could actually be an infection and could even be passed on from person to person what if laziness was caused by a parasite once known as the germ of laziness in southern states the hookworm causes extreme tiredness and even a lower IQ get ready to get grossed out brainiacs as we unpack this parasite as with all parasites the hookworm is a creature that lives by living off of other creatures this tiny worm which averages about eight millimeters long is spread when someone comes in contact with the eggs where would one come in contact with the eggs oh you guessed it contaminated soil and we don't mean to gross you out brainiacs it's usually soil contaminated with feces yeah these are really nasty parasites also better wash your hands after handling a puppy or a kitten you don't know because hook worms can absolutely infect your pets and if you handle an infected puppy or accidentally stepped where it has gone number two then you could be the new home for these tiny worms here's how it works and get ready for this one cuz it's an insane and pretty terrifying process if you ask us if you step barefoot on dirt which contains the hookworm larvae the little dudes will stop at nothing to latch onto your skin and will quickly burrow their way inside your foot then they catch a ride in your bloodstream and make their way to your lungs this will cause you to cough and when you do the hookworm will travel up and then back down your throat when you swallow now the hookworm is right where it wants to be your digestive tract once inside your small intestine they have now reached their desired home you eventually will pass them through your system but it can take up to a year and the symptoms are not fun when you're infected you will experience cramps nausea fever loss of appetite abdominal pain penis in your foot from where they first entered your system and if the worms last a long time you can develop anemia which is when you have a low red blood cell count but here's the craziest symptoms of all anyone infected with hookworms over a long period of time will experience nutritional deficiencies and a condition known as ascites which is when fluid builds up in your abdomen caused by an extreme lack of protein and finally children who have contracted this parasite can experience slow growth both physically and mentally from the lack of iron and proteins to put it another way basically the hookworm can really hurt your brainpower as you grow up and both children and adults who are infected get incredibly tired and not able to focus and at one time this parasite was so rampant in the South that the people who lived there were thought of as stupid by anyone they met but it wasn't their fault it was all the hookworm the whole time now we want to be clear here all this was before the hookworm was discovered and way before we knew how it worked and how it affected the body but the truth is that from the time put worms first arrived in America in the 17th century via boats all the way until 1902 when they were finally discovered there was thought to be some sort of germ of laziness in the South rumors spread about how if you were from the south then you were tired couldn't put in a full day's work and worst of all were not that bright but here's the thing brainiacs in a way they're kind of was a such a germ it's just that it was a worm not a German if you did unknowingly catch the hookworm parasite you would indeed feel the symptoms of tiredness and even have a lower IQ the other factor that contributed to these rumors was probably the most serious of all see it wasn't just a few communities spaced out and about a whole no experts estimate that at one time 40% of the population that resided between the states of Texas to West Virginia were infected you heard that right forty percent no wonder people thought that anyone from the South was tired and unmotivated they had worms it wasn't until a medical zoologist from New York named Charles W Stiles discovered the hookworm and was able to link these lazy traits it cost to being infected his research began in 1902 when he was commissioned by the Department of Agriculture to help keep farm animals in the south healthy but when he learned about this germ that caused laziness his friends say he got obsessed with solving the riddle and solve it he did he theorized that if the southern states got rid of their hookworm problem then a wham-bam they wouldn't seem as tired lazy and unmotivated but local doctors didn't listen they thought that he was an arrogant pretentious know-it-all it wasn't until a man named John Rockefeller who was looking for a philanthropy project heard of Stiles's discovery and decided to invest thus the mission to cure southern states of their a laziness was on well I mean by cure I mean cure the worms that caused the laziness but look you know what we're trying to say brainiacs but this mission of cleansing the south of worms did not go over well remember this was the first time that people had even heard of the worms and the idea that as so many of them could be affecting so many people was seen as offensive I mean think about it not only was some doctor coming into people's towns as saying that they were all likely infected with worms but that the reason their kids were having trouble in schools and the reason everyone in town was so tired and lazy was because they had parasites but Rockefeller didn't give up he put 1 million dollars into anti worm propaganda and his organization's started sending young doctors straight out of medical school down south so they could teach anyone and everyone who would listen about the dangers of hook worms slowly but surely people came around and doctors would set up makeshift clinics in town and it sort of became an event for people to come and get dewormed Families left and right would arrive with potato salads and fried chicken and in some cases people had even be asked to get married in the hookworm deworming tent it really was an all-day party people would be treated doctors would teach anyone who would listen about proper hygiene and slowly but surely things started to change before these doctors had arrived people just didn't know how important having good hygiene around the restroom was and they even taught them how to build better and more sanitary outhouses and while they couldn't by every single person that came along new shoes they could tell them the dangers of walking around barefoot especially in areas that could be contaminated with hookworms the treatment was simple epsom salt and thymol many times this was a family's first encounter with any kind of pharmaceutical and slowly but surely and we mean slowly the hookworm problem started to go away but it took many many years in fact it wasn't until 1985 that the hookworm was seen as truely written from the south but things have also changed a lot since then some of the biggest factors that keep us all worm free now are the fact that most people don't live in rural areas anymore the majority of people live in cities and that means paved streets combine that with healthier eating habits and the fact that everyone is now wearing shoes and of course there is now indoor plumbing this means that the hookworm just can't a thrive like it once did up but that doesn't mean that they don't exist these little monsters absolutely are still around but luckily there are safe and effective ways to treat them doctors will usually prescribe the medicines albendazole mebendazole or peer and tel promote preventive measures you can take our simple don't drink water if you don't know that it's clean properly cook and clean your food before eating it wash your hands before you cook and before you eat and be sure to have some kind of we're on if you know that the area in which you are walking could potentially have the larva in it keep yourself clean brainiacs and you'll be keeping yourself safe from these little parasites - who would have thought that something could literally be causing your laziness that there could be an actual infection that makes you seem dim-witted well the world is a strange and sometimes scary place and the hookworm is one such creature that could hold you back from reaching your full potential but no need to worry you know how to take care of yourself and practice good hygiene brainiacs you'll be fine and now that you know the scoop on the hookworm and hey if you find that you are particularly lazy who knows maybe it's not you maybe it's the hookworm we'll see you next time brainiacs if you enjoyed this video be sure to hit that like button it really helps us out a lot and it lets us 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Channel: Brainiac

Views: 87,337

Rating: 4.8807769 out of 5

Keywords: Brainiac, worm, worms, hook worm, hookworm, parasite, infection, germ, lazy, tired, fatigued, Animation, cartoon, animated, stories, facts, what if, things you didn't know, smart, intelligent, learn, facts about the body

Id: 48ukqhfyu7Y

Length: 10min 21sec (621 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 03 2020