No, that man was suffering from a severe hookworm infestation. His pallor and posture were the result of anemia. Severely anemic people eat dirt or clay; they are hungry for iron. And the man could be cured “at a cost of about fifty cents.” “Good God! Stiles, are you in earnest?” Page exclaimed. Again, the veil lifted. Is that where the “lazy white Southerner” stereotype came from? Is that why Southern whites looked funny—lanky, pale, and slack?
