The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1909-09-22
PEuACRA DISEASE
SAID TO BE CAUSED By TIE USE
OF WESTERN GROWN CORN
I, Is Claimed That This Corn Has
Not Time to Mature Well Before
il Is Ground

il Is Ground
The dread new disease which first
made its appearance IN the Sousn
several yea,s ago. has invaded sew
e-al parts OF the North. Fifty cas-
IS are now under treatment in Pc
oria. III. 1t has probably existed
unde,ected in the North many years.
Or. Lavindar OF the United States
marine hospital service. has proved
that pellaSra caused the death OF
two patients ~hc ~eSe supposed 70
have been scalded to death IN the
Ba,.ony.lle. Illinois. insane asylum
In 1904 and 1907.
They died In bath tubs and their
bodies looked like they had been
boiled and the nurse who was IN
charge OF the last case was dismissed
70, supposed criminal carelessness.
DR.. Levindar says the appearance OF
being boiled alive is typical OF the
disease OF pellagra and that death
IN the bath tubs was mere eonc!-
dence. The result Is that the nurse
has been reinstated. Dr.. Lavindss
found forty cases in this asylum on
his arrival there.
The Knoxville Sentinel. referring
| to the theory that nasty cora causes
pellasra. expressed the belief some
time ago that the spread OF the dts
ease was due to the use OF care
lessly selected corn ground by steam
-oll;ng mills instead Of the coarse
ground corn meal Of water mills OF
the South. The view has been grow
ing IN strength. Dr. William Z.
Woodiey. Of Charlotte, n. c.. has
written The Observer on this sub
iect- He biares the use Of shocs
cured corn which. he says, is not
given time enough to dry thorough
~ before It is husked and market.
ed. He says tha. sixty days loase'
should be allowed to corr In the
shock than to corn standing in the
field
The season In the West IS much
shorter than IN the South and the
farmers push their work so as te
ge. through With cleaning sheii
6elds before winter. DR.. WoodleJ
proposes. therefore. that mills b
required TO use only coTu that ha:
been cared under supervision. Corr
FOR the table should be cured with
out stripping the fodder IN order t
give the ears all the nutrimen: pos
sible. The amount OF corn grount
for human food is small compa7ee
with the total grown and It woult
be no great hardship to require tbs
mills to be careful IN selecting It,
In commenting on the rapid
spread Of the disease. the Farmers
Union Sun says here In the South
whose people have always been ad
d!cted to the use Of corn-bread II
some form or other. pe,lasr1 va:
unknown Until comparatively reeen'
years. Before the war and Ions
afterwards, We never knew or heard
Of case that ieSicsted any Of tht
symptoms Of peAsgras~S It Is as nov
known and descrfeed a very modezr
disease so far as II relates to tht
South. and its present prevalence. Il
due to the use of corn. may be at
tributed wholly 20 the South's aban
donnent Of the cultivation Of corn
turning its attention to the single
crop Of cotton. and depending ex'
clus!vely for its corn supply on the
West. where the metAods' Of har
vestinS and caring for com crop.
arc such as % make corn an unf.
article OF food for man
We read the other day that It Il
not an unusual thing for some
Western farmers to turn their hog,
into fields OF corn which was regard.
ed as Of inferior quality. We s..
confident that much OF this kind o;
corn or the neal from it Is ship.
ped to the South and made into
bread and eaten BY the poorer class
Of our people among whome. espec'
tally those IN mill districts. pellagra
has appeared. We don't believe that
Southern raised corn. harvested only
when fully ripe. as was done IN ante.
belium times, and properly ground
into meal. will produce peilagra.
II the disease Is caused from corn.
1t is this Western corn and Its pro
ducts on which our people have been
feeding ever since they got. the cot.
ton craze. Pellagra, then, which Il
said to be spreading rapidly through
out the South, is going to compel
our people to so back to Erst princl-
pies. in other words. force them to
| cut out Western corn and raise their
| COTE supply at home 1t seems that
| something Just like this was requir-
/ ed to bring Southern farmers to their
senses. Some people can be coz
v!nced only By knock-down arsu
ments. and pellasra is one that
seems to be OF that kind.
The Sun is right. Corn has been
the staple food OF tie South too
long to allow any room fos con-
dennins It wholesale as has been
done by hasty thinkers. But It was
homegrown corn that was eaten and
home-ground. too. until 2 few years
ago when the markets CT the South
we're invaded BY the p!oduct@ OF
tie steam rolling mill. The house
keepers who insist on getting the
coarse meal OF the local mill viii
probably make 20 mistake and may
rest assured tha. they are eating
one Of the fines: tood-stI1s. given
by Cod. In the meantime there Is
no subject more urgent TO. the at