The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-09-08
PeIIagra, But Not Due to Corn.

So Walker at. Mrs Kate Barto liel
desperately Ill, perhaps dying, from ,
disease that doctors have agreed ie
pellagra-the dreaded ''corn-bresd'
disease,
Yet, in the case of this sufferer, hel
mind wandering, her tortured body
drawn by periodical spasms, may. per
haps be found a complete refutation o
the charge recently laid by science al
the door Of the great American product
corn.
For Mrs Barto has never eaten corn
bread.
DR.. Frank. L. Eskridge, who has
attended Mrs. Barto in her Hines. was
interviewed Monday morning by q
Georgian reporter.
TYPICAL PELLAGRA
ut is the mo4typicalcase Of pellagra
have ever seen" said DR.. rEskridge.
"Every symptom corresponds exactly
with the latest expert investigations
and diagnoses of the malad. I was
struck with the remarkable clearness
and distinctness of the symptoms at
my first diagnosis, and you may fmag.
inc my surprise when, after having
settled in my own mind that the case
was surely pellagra, I,inquiredIf Mrs.
Barto were not accustomed to eating
cornbread regularly, and tound that
she had never eaten 1t, nor, in fact,
had she been accustomed to eating
regularly of other corn products.
II could hardly doubt my diagnosis,
30 conclusive were the symptoms; yet
doubt il I did, in Difference to the
opinions, at present ientertained by
some of the leading members of the
medal profession.
"Agafn going carefully Aover the
symptoms, the only possible alternate
at which I could arrive was 'sprue' q
disease with quite gsemiial symptoms
and vsry prevalent la the tropics, no
table In the PHILIPPINE Islands.
"As this juncture Tiinvited DIR. T.
G. Dongino, whose service in the
Philippines has made him perfectly
familiar with sprue and Its peruliaritiea
to diagnose the case from that stand
point. He assured me, without hesit-
alton, that 1t certainly was not sprue
and that he had no doubt 1t was
pellagra. This opinion has been con-
firmed by other physicians.
CORN NOT A CAUSE
"From q close observation of every
deyelofment in this case and from an
exhaustive reading Of many works
pertaining to the subject. I have been
forced to the conclusion that pellagrs
Ia not essentially q cornbread disease
and that it may be found under condi.
tions that absolutely eliminate corn In
any form from the possible causes.
II find that Frappoli, noted Italian
physician writing In III, many years
before American, maize; or corn, was
introduced in Italy, describes disease
with symptoms exactly similar to those
of pellagra, which he terms 'pelle agra
or 'skin roughness.' In fact, am a..
most persuaded that pellagra is q
malady o1the leprous group, q microbie
disease, perhaps aggravated by altered
corn, but by no means caused by 1t.
"The case of Mrs. Barto Ia so, con.
clusively typical, compared with six
ether cases OF peliagra I have invest
igated, that I believe 1t constitutes g
strong refutation Of the cornbread
theory. From the earliest symptoms
of the present conition,t symmetrical
gangrene have set In this morning,
the case exhibits. q perfect history Of
pelfagra, and. pellagra entirely disas-
ISOLATED from cornbread or corn pro
ducts. ."-Atlanta Georgian. -