Watkins W E, Pollitt E
Department of Pediatrics, University of California at Davis, USA.
Psychol Bull. 1997 Mar;121(2):171-91. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.121.2.171.
The title of a 1930s article asked the question, "Stupidity or Hookworm?" In this article, the authors discuss research that attempts to answer the question of whether intestinal worms--namely, hookworm, whipworm, and roundworm--harm the mental performance of their hosts. After introducing the biology and epidemiology of intestinal worms, the authors present the historical background to the problem. They review research from the 1910s through the 1990s; there is evidence that high intensities of worms can affect mental performance, but not all dewormed children show improved performance. They discuss the mechanisms of how worms might affect the mind.
一篇20世纪30年代文章的标题提出了这样一个问题：“是愚蠢还是钩虫作祟？”在这篇文章中，作者们讨论了一项研究，该研究试图回答肠道寄生虫——即钩虫、鞭虫和蛔虫——是否会损害其宿主的智力表现这一问题。在介绍了肠道寄生虫的生物学和流行病学之后，作者们阐述了该问题的历史背景。他们回顾了从20世纪10年代到90年代的研究；有证据表明，高强度的寄生虫感染会影响智力表现，但并非所有接受驱虫治疗的儿童都表现出智力提高。他们讨论了寄生虫可能影响大脑的机制。
