STORY 5

How my mother cured me of ascarides

If one begins from the very early childhood, then my mother's curing me of ascarides has produced a great impression on me.

I was a patient myself and I was therefore also a witness of the cure. I was still at a pre-school age, perhaps 5 or 6 years old, however big enough to memorise important aspects and even to draw some interesting conclusions.

Ascariasis is an infection of the small intestine caused by Ascaris lumbricoides, which is a species of roundworm.

Children are known to often become infected when they do not wash their hands after playing in contaminated soil. Children who are 3 to 8 years old are most often infected.

As of now,I do not remember any symptoms or manifestations of the disease. But I do remember very well the remedy used by my mother. It was santonica (Levant wormseed, wormseed). I can unmistakably recognise it by taste even now when many years have passed.

I had to chew and swallow it. True, I did not do it from the very beginning. At first my mother chewed a handful of the stuff herself and then gave it me to finish chewing and swallow it. Insofar as I remember, the procedure lasted minimum several days, but maybe even a week or even longer.

But I do perfectly remember that once a big helminth sprung out into my pot. I saw it with my own eyes. Afterwards, I well remember a woman physician coming. She scolded my mother for her independent action, which had not been authorised by medical profession.

Thereafter, the woman doctor took my ascaride to preserve it in alcohol. They did not have such an exhibit at the polyclinic as she explained. So one cannot exclude that my ascaride has been serving as an exhibit since then until now as it may be alcoholised for an infinitely long time.

Sure enough, from the very beginning I perceived that reprimand on the doctor's part regarding my mother's independent action as a queer thing. My mother was a real hero for me in the case beyond doubt because she had succeeded in curing me, whereas the medical profession has failed to do so and nothing less than brought shame upon itself. I managed to draw such a conclusion as early as being a small child. It is really wonderful.