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WILD WORLD
OF MEDICINE
ROACHES
By Barbara R. Schmitz. LCSW
Roaches, masters of evolution, are the ultimate survivors dating tastic sense of smell. They abhor soda crackers, sugar, cucumbers
back 350 million years and can survive in nearly all environments. and cheese. Would you believe they are still classified as vegetarians?
They need little introduction since all of you have met them. They
are related to mantises and grasshoppers and have highly organized There are from 4,000-7,500 kinds of roaches with only about 20
societies similar to that of ants hanging out with humans. Most are brown but some have exquisite
coloring from dots and stripes to translucent, brilliant green, maroon
Basically, roaches are personally clean. The problem with them vis- to rich mahogany.
iting our cupboards is that while they eat, they frequently throw up
a little and also leave their droppings where they eat. By doing this, Roach fossils of 300 million years ago have been discovered. At
they mark the spot with their peculiar odor so they can come back that time, they adapted a simple and secure way of life and have
later. Under extremely unsanitary conditions they can pick up bac- rarely departed from it. Some fascinating things about roaches are:
teria and acquire viruses on their feet from the filth left by humans they can have six legs and 18 knees; they can hold their breath for
as well as from their own living quarters such as a sewer system. They 40 minutes. Their ears are in their knee joints; their teeth are in
can crawl all over the place and hang on with their little claws, pick- their stomach. Their hearts are tubes with valves that pump blood
ing up disease and virus pathogens. When this occurs, they harbor backwards and forwards. They can live one week without a head and
bacteria that can stay in their digestive system for over a month. Then die of thirst because they must have their mouth to drink; they can
they contaminate your food and countertops with their feces. Sal- survive a month without food. They have two brains located in the
monella can survive in their feces for years. Other pathogens that tail and head, but don’t need the one in the head to live. They can
they can potentially carry are pneumonia, typhoid fever, bubonic be frozen, thawed and then walk away; they can survive 216G’s (as-
plague and leprosy. Some believe they can cause human allergies and tronauts black out at 12); they can endure 50 to 100 percent the ra-
exacerbate asthma. They love to party on your crumbs, leftover’s, pet diation as humans.
food, book bindings, fruit peelings, peanut butter, wood, flower
petals, leaves, ants, termites, dead animals, bat droppings, Vaseline, Roaches have a lot of body fat. It is revolting if you are starving
leather, wood, rayon, fingernail clippings, all found with their fan- and you have to eat them. Some people in New Orleans eat choco-
late-covered roaches but they can’t eat enough to control them.
Cockroaches have many defense mechanisms. Their immune
30 San Antonio Medicine • February 2016
