STUPIDITY OR WORMS - DO INTESTINAL WORMS IMPAIR MENTAL PERFORMANCE

The title of a 1930s article asked the question, ''Stupidity or Hookwo rm?'' In this article, the authors discuss research that attempts to a nswer the question of whether intestinal worms-namely, hookworm, whipw orm, and roundworm-harm the mental performance of their hosts. After i ntroducing the biology and epidemiology of intestinal worms, the autho rs present the historical background to the problem. They review resea rch from the 1910s through the 1990s; there is evidence that high inte nsities of worms can affect mental performance, but not all dewormed c hildren show improved performance. They discuss the mechanisms of how worms might affect the mind.