Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1909-11-16

/ where the conditions of eli
mate and soil are somewha
trying for maize, as in Bur
y gundy, Franche Comte, an(
l the Bresse in France, and il
, Mexico, the greatest care il
) taken to dry the Indian corr
before it is stored; and it may
be said that wherever these
precautions are taken pellaga
does not follow. It has hap,
pened on several occasions
after a partic u arly bad
maize>harvest, that pellagra
has risen almost to an epid-
mic. Again, it's prevalence
within it's actual endemic area
varies much from province to
province or from commune to
commune, being always last
where the maize-diet is sup
plemented by wheaton flour.
rice, beans, chestnuts, pota-
toes, or fish.
CHARACTERS OF THE DISEASE.
The indications of pellagra
usually begin in the spring of
the year, declining towards
autumn, and recurring with
Increasing intensity and per-
manence in the spring sea-
sons following. A peasant
who is acquiring the malady
feels unfit for work suffers
from headaches, giddiness,
singing in the ears, a burning
of the skin, especially in the
hands and feet, and dia1rhea,
At the same time a red rash
appears on the skin, Of the
nature of erysipelas, the red
or ivid spots being tense and
painful, especially where they
are directly exposed to thu
sun. About July or August
of the first season these
symptoms disappear, the spots
on the skin remaining rough
and dry. The spring attack
of the year following will
probably be more severe and
more likely to leave traces
behind it; with each success
sive year the patient becomes
more like a mummy, his skin
shrivelled and sallow, or even
black at certain spots, as in
Addison's disease, his angles
protruding, his muscles vast
ed, his movements slow and
languid, and his sensibility
diminished, Meanwhile there
are more special symptoms
relating to the nervous sys-
tenn, including dropping of
the eyelid, dilation Of the
pupil, and other disorders of
vision, together with symp~
toms relating to the digestive
system, such as a red and dry
tongue, a burning feeling in
the mouth, pain on swallow
ing, and diarrhga. Peasants
with this progressive malady
upon them come to the towns
spring after spring seeking
relief at the various hospitals,
and under a good regimen
and a permanently improved
diet the malady is often
checked. But after a certain
stage the disease is confirmed
in profound disorganization
of the nervous system; 81 asms
of the limbs begin to occur,
and contractures Of the joints
from partial paralysis of the
extensor muscles and prepon~
derant action of the fexors;
melancholy, imbecility, and a
strong suicidal tendency are
common accompaniments. A
large number of pellagrous
peasants end their days in
lunatic asylums in a state of
drivelllng wretchedness or
raving madness; many more
drag out a miserable exis>
tence in the communes where
their working years had been
spent, sometimes receiving
the communal relief to which
the law entities them; while
the cases that are reckone1
durable are in Italy received
into the various endowed
hospitals, of which there are a
large number. Cases that are
rapidly fatal end in delirium
or a state of typhoid stupor
the more protracted cases are
cut off at last by rapid vast
ing, colliquative and i'll
smelling sweats, rofus'
diarrhGa, and dropsy. Afta]
death a variety of textura
changes are found, which
may be referred in genera
to trophic disorders, or dis
orders Of tissue>nutritition
in a considerable nnm1e