Hookworm was a serious medical problem for the rural poor in South Carolina. The parasite infected individuals who picked it up through barefoot contact in infested soil; open-backed privies helped spread the parasite. In 1911-1912, the Rockefeller Sanitary Commission made a tour of South Carolina, inspecting children for infestation, and teaching adults how to build sanitary privies. This tent for hookworm treatment was set up in Batesburg by the Commission.
Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
