The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-09-04


Washington. Aug. 26.--Experts con-
nected with the bureau Of Agricul-
ture and the public health and ma
rine hospital service Of the govern
ment here are dsvoting much time to
the study Of psiiagra. the disease
said to be working much havoc In
: certain sections Of the South. II has
! beon said that history and observa-
tisn-s show clearly that the first ap-
pearance Of. the disease. and It's
later dissemination. followed. more or
iess closely. the introduction of maize
ncuiturs into Spain and its gradual
spread to France. Italy and other
countries OF southern Europe.
Those In authority here say that
the exact cause Of pellasra is un-
known. IL FIRST appeared In Spain In
f7ss. Italy 1888; France 1899. In
- 1899 there were In the provinces Of
tLombardy alone. 10000 cases. and In
1879. twice as many. In total pop
ulation Of 1s.700. 900 In nothern Italy,
there are 1o4.os7 cases. Pellagra is
one Of the chief causes Of insanity
among the poorer classes of Italy.
and the people who have It try to
hide the fact from others as II is al
most as bad as having hereditary in
sanity in the family.
The disease In accompanied by a
red scaly eruption on the hands and
fect and those parts Of the body that
re exposed to air. A little swelling
usually goes with II. The amount of
sktn affected has nothing to do with
the ssverity OF the case. For a long
7sn'e many believed that pellagra was
AKIN to leprosy but that theory has
been exploded.
Digestive troubles follow, and diar-
, rhcea. and II II. lasts long time the
patient becomes weak, and the brain
~ affected. and fits Of depression at
tack the victim. In old. chronic
cases suicidal mania develops, taking
the form OF q desire to sdrown-this
being explained by the fearful itching
VI the skin. In Italy. among the
retLsants. the disease IL called "the
sciences that drives youAnto the wa
CIR" Finally. In the last stages, the
patient refuses to eat and goes to
'fhe chronic type OF pellagra fur
20 per cent- Of the insane in
tPf q spitais Of northern Italy.
81 mis- country there In more of
thc acute tyre. lasting only q few
vssks instead OF years. and leading
d'snost invariably to death. with gen.
erA symptoms not unlike typhoid. 1t
'tis quite probable that the chronic
,fcrm occurs. also. but the doctors
have not learned to look for It and
diagnose It.
The causes for pellagra are not alb
soiutely known. II did not appear In
Europe until after the introduction Of
indian corn. and Is almost confined
90 localities where corn forms q con-
siderable portion Of the diet. princi-
paliy TN northern Italy. Roumania
aud Bulgaria. This has led to the
belief that In some way the disease
Ia connected with the consumption of
, com but pellagra does not exist ev-
erywhcrs corn u grown. for IL Is pro-
duced pretty much all over Italy.
while only the nothern portion suf-
tert This led to the modification of
the corn theory-good corn is harm
less and spoiled corn may bring ON
the disease. In southern Italy the
f,fail rs long and corn ripens well and
dries thoroughly and doesn't spoil,
while IN the nothern section. II Is
9sriy. short and wet. so that corn Of
tearspoiis and rots. and there the poor
peasant has no choice. but must eat
= abs bad grain.
This theory. that of spoiled corn. Is
held By the majority Of physicians I'm
Italy There are many. however, who
oppose 1t. and contend that the dis.
ease Is produced by some microbe de-
pendent upon corn. In which case
corn would be indirectly responsible.
But OF the many microbes charged.
not one has been found guilty after
critical investigation. Therefore. II II
u Inicrobe. the particular one is un-
known
The opponents of the corn theory
always argue that. In America. where
80 much corn is used. the disease did
not exist. This. IL Ia now known. was