Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1909-11-10
HooKwoRM AND PELLAGRa.
London Specialist Says They Travel
Hand I'm Hand--Treatment.

dispatch from Columbia says:
Pellagra and hookworms travel hand
in hand in their death-dealing work.
z Where the former is found, there
also may be found the latter, In
many cases at least, boring his way
to the vitals of the patient, and until
the hookworm is ousted the success
full treatment of the co-eXistent pei
lagra is useless. To attempt the bat
tie against pellagra, therefore, in
wolves the training of the artillery
of the scientific world upon the hook
worm.
This new development in the in
vestigation of pellagra was brought
out here Wednesday afternoon in an
able paper dealing with this disease,
prepared by DR.. F.. M. Sandwith, of
London, Gresham professor of phys
les, and which was read before the
International Conference on Pellag-
ra by Dr.. j. w. Babcock, superintend-
ent of the South Carolina Hospital
for the Insane, and the prime mover
in the organization OF the present
meeting.
More than $50 prominent physi-
clans and scientists from all sections
of the United States and representa-
tives of foreign governments are in
attendance
Treatment for PeIlagra.
Regarding the treatment OF pei
lagra, DR.. Sandwith, in his paper.
said:
The treatment of early pallagra
cases without mental symptoms can
be successfully accomplished by put
ting the patient on liberal diet, ex-
Guiding maize and by Kidding him of
the hookworms, which are so often
co-existent, but the pallagrous symp-
toms return If he is allowed to re-
sumo diet Of musty maize. Vari-
Gus preparations Of arsenic are used
in advanced cases, but when the brain
is attacked there is small hope for
the patient, unless by serotherapy.
Pellagra is essentially a disease
which cries for preventive measures.
Italy, by preventive measures,
has, since 1888, reduced the mortal
ity Of pellagra from 3,4S3 to 1,635,
though during the years 1888 to
1907 the maize area under cultiva-
tion has increased from $40 to 6.33
per cent of the whole country. This
points to the moral that it is the
quality, not the quantity, of maize
which is at fault. There are certain
general aXioms which prove true in
Italy and Egypt and it will doubtless
be found that they hold good in the
United States also:
81. In districts where no maize is
cultivated, or habitually eaten, pei
lagra does not exist. "
-. There are many districts
where maize has been cultivated for
many years, and yet pellagra has not
appeared.
''3. Well-to-do people in pellagra
districts, living on varied diet and
consuming maize as an occasional,
and not as q staple cereal, usually
escape pellagra.
~. 1t is not good maize or good
maize flour which produces pellagra.
The disease requires for its produc-
ton habitual use of damaged
maize in some from
''Corn Licker" Causes PclIagra.
Columbia, Nov. 4.-Not alone
corn and the ordinary products of
food made of that cereal, but the dis
tillef spirits of grain, corn licker,"
plays an important part in the cause
or the dread peilagra, was declared
here to-day at the second days ses-
sion of the national conference on
pellagra by more than one of the dis
tinguished physicians in attendance.
And upon these men who are met to
investigate what to this country is
considered new" disease there Is
a growing conviction, according to
several of tie speakers, that pellac ra
already Is making its ravages u,uu
horses, cows, hogs, etc, as well as
human beings.
At the morning session of the
f..r. L. n.
technical nature, largely, and of the
more than 800 who attended the
conference yesterday all were pres
ent to-day, with other late arrivals
added.
Tonight permanent organiza-
ton, entitled the National Associa-
ton for the Study and Prevention Of
Pellagra, was perfected.