The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1909-11-18
DIR. ElkfR IS ALARMED

Sounds Note of Warming in Regard
to PeIiagra Upon his Return
from National ConfereHCe.
DR.. and Mrs. B. l.. Eiker returned
last Friday from their trip to Colum-
bia, S. c., where DR.. Eiker went as
the representative of the Iowa State
Board of Health to attend the nation
al convention held by medical experts
to discuss the disease pellagra, which
has been increasing to an alarming
extent in a number of states. The
convention was attended by the lead
| ing medical men of not only the Unit
ed States but many foreign countries,
and the result was that great deal
of information was secured. A num-
| ber of cases where patients were af-
ficted with the disease were used as
demonstrations, in the southern
states there being an alarming num-
Der of cases reported, many being
negroes. DR.. Eiker was honored by
being made a member of the commit
tee on constitution, and took prom
inent part in the formation of a
national society which will continue
the investigation commenced at Col
umbia. He also visited cases at
Nashville, Tenn, and in the hospitals
and insane asylums at Chicago, and
Peoria, ILL.,, and then went to Maren-
go, Iowa, where the only known case
in Iowa is located. He found the
patient at Marengo, prominent
lawyer of that city, suffering from a
well advanced case of the disease,
and his death is only a matter of
time.
The disease is not contagious, and
manifests itself generally by dry
scaly eruption which appears on the.
hands and arms first and then on the
face and neck. 1t is prone to attack
people of low vitality, a great many
of the cases being found in insane
hospitals
DR.. Eiker has forwarded the fol-
lowing report of his trip to the sec
retary of the state board of health,
and it will prove interesting reading !
DR.. Louis A. Thomas, Secretary
State Board of Health. Des Moines.
Iowa.-Dear Doctor: / was appointed
by the Iowa state board of health to
attend the National Conference on
Pellagra held at Columbia, S. c.,
November and A 1909, and to
make such other investigations as !
deemed necessary to enable the board
to give such advice and counsel to
4 the people of Iowa as would best
protect the health and financial iha
terests of our state.
1 In the brief time allotted for this
investigation / have examined into
conditions existing in South Carolina,
North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama,
Tennessee, Illinois, Iowa and the re-
ports made by the army and marine
hospital service From this examin-
alton ] beg leave to submit through
you to the Iowa state board of health
the following brief summary of my
| findings.
Pellagra is disease hitherto sup
1posed to exist only in warm countries
with here and there case developing
in colder climates. The southern
part of Europe, especially Italy and
France and also parts of Egypt, is
where pellagra seems to have been
most prevalent. The idea that the
disease was never found in the north
seems to have been SO well fixed in
the minds of the people that even our
best text books on medicine dismiss
the subject with a few lines of vague
texplanation in the manner of a def
milton. Investigation shows that this
disease probably existed in the south
ern states from twenty to thirty years
before being properly diagnosed as
such, and further investigation
shows that it also probably existed
in New York and Massachusetts as
early as 1854.
| When the state board of health of
South Carolina took the mater in
hand and commenced Investigations
both at home and abroad, other
health authorities also became inter
ested in the work, and as a result
cases have been reported during the
past summer in a number of northern
states, including Pennsylvania, New
York, Maryland, Illinois and Iowa
In fact, it is now definitely stated
that this disease has existed in Hi
nois for number of years, but was
not recognized. Upon proper inves.
tigation, similar conditions will most
likely be found to exist in Iowa.
From the observations so far made
there seems to be no age, race OF
social condition of mankind that car
be considered exempt, although the
disease is said to be more frequently
observed in the poorly fed classes
(This, however, obtains with al
diseases). In the south the negroe:
seem especially prone to pellagra
and, of course, are the class that ha.
the poorest food and surroundings
In Italy is said that the trouble il
most frequently found among the
ipoorer classes of peasantry, who sub
slst largely upon a poor quality O.
, corn. So noticeable has this fact be
come in Italy, that many of the medi
cal authorities do not hesitate in say
ing that there is a relation existing
between the disease and the use O.
damaged corn as a food.
The opinion seems to prevail a
the recent conference at Columbia
that there were many things which
tc0u1d not ho IN, bo