Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1909-11-11
HOW TO STOP IT
English Physician Reads Interesting Paper
on Pellasya :.
COLUMBIA CONFERENCE

Dr. Sandwich, of London, Tells How
| Italy, Where Pcllagrs is Widci,
| Prevalent, Has Reduced Mort.,ity
Many Cases Found Among Esyp.
tians-Urgcs Preventative Rule.
| The following paper by DR.. T.. NJ.
sandwich, of London, England
| Gresham professor Of physics WAS
| read at the pellagra conference. in
Columbia Wednesday afternoon: 81
reel that my first words must be
those of congratulation aud encour-
| agement to the many physicians in
the Southern States who are now
working at the various problems con-
nected with pellagra. CongratuIa-
t'on In the first place. because they
nave discovered the existance of the
disease, because they have impress,
ed this discovery upon others SO
mat the presence OF pellagra Is now
thoroughly recognized.
III 1 venture also to encoura pe
American co-workers. IL is not with
any improper desire to draw atIeu-
ton to my own work, but because 1
happen to be in the UNIQUE position
with regard to this one disease), of
oeing able to appreciate their diff
ficulties.
In spite OF denials from Ameri-
can authorities on medicine / have
always suspected that pellagra might
exist unrecognized in the South. and
at one time L requested my friends
10 put me into communication with
the poorest folk of the maize eat
Ing districts. l was referred to a
settlement In Eastern Virginia for
pauper negroes. but on investigation
found that the inmates lived in
stone houses, on pork rations. and
canpe TO the conclusion that the
word poverty represented no CON
uition In America. which could COM
pare with the misery OF the impover-
lsheh peasants of Italy, Roumania
or Egypt
I'm April. 1905. had the good
epidemic of cerebro spinal menin-
gifts, and the very first patient whom
saw at the city hospital by the
courtesy of DR.. c. +. Wilmington, was
an ltnlian emigrant. who also dis
played a well marked pellaCrous
eruption. This leads one 10 wonder
whether the United States public
health and marine hospital service
oincers who examine the cmigrants
at Naples and other Italian ports
should not include pellagra among
the prohibitory diseases
Now. that the diagnois of pella-
gra has been firmly established in
so many States, it would be wei
TO find out for certain how many
persons are attacked by the disease
in the South. In order to arrive
at any correct figures. it might be
well to institute compulsory notifi-
cation or the disease at least as n
temporary measure. In Italy there
has been n law to that effect since
lSSS. ] would also recommend that
agricultural laborers should be ex-
amincd in the States whore pcil,-
Gra is known to he prevalent. such
as Georgia and North and South Car
olina- This might be done in Feb
ruary or March. when the eruption
Is likely TO be present.
I'm 1901 and 1902 obtained
permission to examine 500 Egyptian
peasants who were actually at work
in the fields. They all stoutlv de-
MED that they were i'll and their
employers who were with them stat
ed they could all do fair days
work, but in every field / found
early cases of pcllagra. bearing from
Is per cent in well-to-do districts
to 62 per cent in the inhabitants of
the poorest hamlets.
The treatment of early pellagra
cases without mental symptoms can
be successfully accomplished by put
ting the patient on a liberal diet.
excluding maize and by Kidding him
OF the hookworms which ara so Of
ten co-eXistent, but the pellagrous
symptoms return If he Is allowed 80
| resume diet of musty maize. Va
rious preparations of arsenic are usc,l
III advanced cases Dut when the brain
is attacked there is a small hope for
the patient unless by serotherapy.
Pellagra is essentially disease
which cries for preventive measures.
Italy by preventive measures. has
since 1888 reduced the mortality OF
pellagra from 3.4S3 10 ,635. though
during the years 1888 10 1907 the
maize area under cultivation has in
creased from SO to 6.33 per ceu>
OF the whole country. This points
the moral that it is the quality. not
tho quantity OF maize which is al
fault. There are certain general
eXioms which prove true in ITALY
aud Egypt and II will doubtless be
found that they hold good In the
| United States also:
"First--In districts where nc
maize is cultivated or habitualIy
eaten. pellegra does not exist.
| "Second--There are many dis
tricts where maize has boon cultivat.
I'd for many years and yet pcllagra
has Dot appeared.