The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1909-12-02
PElLAGRA PROVES
FATAL EVERY time
Loathsome Disease Battles
All Physicians in
the South.
From the Philadelphia Public Ledger.

From the Philadelphia Public Ledger.
Tho medical profession of Missis-
| sippi is just now almost as intensely
Interested In the study of the new dis
| sease. "Pellagra." as it was a few years
| ago in determining the origin and cause
Of yellow fever, and 1t is no nearer a
solution Of the problem than were
the physicians Of n quarter of a century
ago to the mosquito theory.
Pellagra was first heard Of in that
state about one year ago, says the
Philadelphia Public Ledger, when a
daughter Of the late Chief Justice
Woods. OF the Mississippi supreme
court, died with what the physicians
Of North Carolina declared '~pellagra."
Previous to the case of Miss Woods.
pellagra was never heard of in Mis-
sissippi. Since that time there have
been a score Of cases, perhaps. more.
and the scientists n physicians have
been exercising their wits In their eff
forts to discover the real as
well as the remedy. So far no patient
as yet, but there does not seem to be
any hope for them. Whites as well as
negroes are attacked. Neither race.
color nor previous condition enters
into the matter one way or the other.
Nor does cleanliness or filth.
Popularity OF Disease.
A striking popularity OF the disease
Is that 1t breaks out or makes it's APP
pearance In two places at once-often
on both hands, on both feet, or on both
sides OF the face or body. The blisters,
or sores, thus appearing are small at
first. but keep growing or spreading
till the entire surface of that partic-
ular member is covered with an erysip-
elas-like sore, and the patient dies a
living death, wasting away to next to
nothing, n loathing himself Or her.
self as an unclean thing.
Three or four weeks ago a case OF
the disease developed in Newton cocn-
, ty, and after treating the case with
out effect for several weeks the ply
sician in charge became convinced it
was pellagra, and took his patient, a
perimented on by DR.. Martin. one
the foremost physicians in that health
| resort. The idea is to see what effect
the waters Of Hot Springs will nave on
this new disease, but so far there has
been no report.
Webster's international dictionary
describes pellagra as an ~''erythema-
tous affection Of tine skin, with severe
constitutional n nervous symptoms.
epidemic in northern Italy," The med
ical authorities tell us that it is epi-
demic in other countries. also, and that
~ ldS Oeeu Known anu III
Spain, France. Bulgaria, Greece, Asia
Minor and other countries for at least
two centuries, but the disease is rec
ognized as epidemic in Europe between
AZ and 46 degrees north latitude, Il
degrees west and .26 degrees east Iongi-
tude Of Paris.
In 1873 Italy reported nearly 100, 600
cases of pellagra, and out Of 10000
deaths in Venetia 500 were attributed
to this disease. but since that time
there has been a great dimtnution in
the number Of cases, and that is at
tributed to the strenuous efforts of the
government in the more careful in
spection Of Indian corn and in the Inn
provement of general, hygenic condi-
tons.
Charged Il Corn.
Everywhere, however. 1t seems that
corn Is charged with the responsibility
for the disease. and corn is going to
be the butt Of the corn enthusiasts for
some time to come. just as cotton
bagging, coffee in sacks and wooden
goods generally used to be with those
who insisted that yellow fever was
brought to this country from the
tropics by the steamships and dis
tributed from New Orleans to all parts
OF the country.