non-Puerto Rican Research Articles

Enterobiasis (pinworm infection): a study of 951 Puerto Rican and 315 non-Puerto Rican children in New York City.

SummaryOne thousand one hundred and eighty-five children and 81 adolescents and young adults were examined for Enterobius vermicularis (pinworm). The cellulose adhesive (Scotch) tape method was employed. All were examined once except for 69 negative on the initial swab who were studied from 2 to 5 times. Eight more positive among them were then found.The incidence among 951 Puerto Rican patients was 9.8%; that of 249 non-Puerto Rican white patients was 23.3%. This is statistically significant. There was no statistical difference in incidence between Puerto Ricans born in New York City (11.3%) and those born in Puerto Rico (9.3%).A token survey of 66 Negro children yielded a low incidence in this group. Only 6.1% (4 cases) were infected.There was no difference in infection rate with regard to sex. The peak age of infection was the 5- to 9-year-old group.

Investigation of parasitic infections in the central area of Philadelphia.

Summary In order to obtain data on the parasitological situation in Philadelphia resulting from an increase in Puerto Rican residents an intestinal parasite survey of school children and a housing quality survey were conducted in the fall of 1957. The children were from similar socio-economic environments and were attending the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades of 2 parochial and 2 public schools. Of 395 stool specimens examined 42.3% were from Puerto Rican children and 58.7% were from non-Puerto Rican children (white, Negro, or Mongolian). The examinations revealed 83.2% of the Puerto Rican, 51.0% of the Negro and 30.2% of the white children infected with parasites. A single stool specimen was examined from each child. Fifteen different parasites were identified. The highest prevalence of any single species was for Trichuris trichiura (67.7% in the Puerto Rican children). Excluding Enterobius vermicularis for which specific examinations were not performed, the prevalence rates for all of the helminths were higher in the Puerto Rican children. Although generally true for the protozoa, several of the species had the highest prevalence in the non-Puerto Rican Negro group (e.g. 8.2% for Entamoeba histolytica). The prevalence of Dientamoeba fragilis (24.5%) for the Negro children was four to five times higher than for the other groups. A significant reduction was observed in the helminth prevalence among the Puerto Rican children after six years of residence in the United States. However, there was not a similar reduction in amebic prevalence rate with length of residence. Furthermore, the protozoan infections were relatively high in the non-Puerto Rican children. These observations may demonstrate that although helminth infections (excluding E. vermicularis) are not being transmitted to any significant degree in Philadelphia, protozoan infections probably are. The housing quality survey revealed that the dwellings in the central area of Philadelphia are over-crowded and deficient in toilet and bathing facilities which in all likelihood must facilitate transmission by direct contact.

The Orientation of Puerto Rican Students in New York City

HE past year has witnessed a considerable influx of Puerto Ricans into the city of New York, which was made possible by the easing of wartime travel restrictions. Perhaps the chief reason for this modern hegira has been the upsetting of the Island's economic balance by the pressure of growing population. Puerto Rico has an area of 3,423 square miles and a population of 1,869,255 persons. Of these, 1,302,898 are living in rural areas.' Although the Jones Act of 1917 made Puerto Ricans citizens of the United States, the Puerto Rican migrant who arrives in New York City is faced with problems very similar to those that were encountered by our foreign immigrant forbears when they arrived in New York harbor. If he should arrive during the winter months, our Puerto Rican fellow American will undoubtedly be greeted by a chill wind that he never experienced in the benevolent tropical climate of his enchanted isle. He will also find himself compelled to express himself in a language which is not his normal vehicle of communication because, although Spanish customs have been modified considerably, Puerto Rico is still more Spanish than American. A rich culture of over four hundred years simply cannot be erased in thirty years through a legislative enactment. The Puerto Rican migrant generally has lived all his life in a rural area with a slower tempo of life and a friendly atmosphere. Upon his arrival in New York he is suddenly thrust into a highly industrialized community where competition is the byword. His lack of adequate previous vocational training for work in this type of community makes it difficult for him to meet this competition. In addition, he is forced to live in crowded quarters where housing conditions are inadequate and where an intolerant attitude is often displayed by other non-Puerto Rican residents. Another obstacle for the Puerto Rican migrant to overcome is his lack of adequate previous educational preparation. According to Rodriguez Bou,2 during the academic year 1944-1945, 46.69 per cent of the children of school age in Puerto Rico were not in school. That is, out of two hundred children of school age, approximately one hundred were not in school. Of the hundred children who entered school, fifty-two per cent left school from