The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-10-06
DIR. Babcock on Pellagra.

~As' ~CeAASA' A"S sPAOvoASh~S Va PSi-
lagrc has been called to the atten-
ton Of the public from time to time
recently by medical men throughout
tho country. But so far there has
been no agreement reached as to the
cause of the disease nor has any cure
been found therefor.
A few days ago there appeared in
In the papers the statement of North
Carolina physicians that the disease
was caused by germ. Still another
case was cited where a woman had
pellagra who he'd never eaten any corn
meal, which Is generally accepted to
be one OF the causes of the disease
DR.. J. w. Babcock, of the State
Hospital for the Insane. an expert on
pellagra was seen today and his opin-
ion asked as to the cause of the dread
disease which has caused so much
terror In this country.
"The press Is now emphasizing the
TACT that pellagra Is a new disease"
said DR.. Babcock "but the South Car
olina and Georgia asylums have rec
ognized the disease in their institu.
tions for about thirty years. =
"At Morganton. N. c.. pellagra has
been known for about twenty-five
years. 1t is not new disease. but
newly recognized disease. The at
tention of the public has been direct
ed to 1t. What was formerly known
as other diseases by various names is
now known as pellagra for pyhsi-
clans.
THE president of the Italian Ma
tional Board of Health, told me one
year ago that while we may dispute
about which Of the moulds couse the
disease. II 10 associated with spoiled
corn. Pellagra has been studied in
Italy for ITO years. and that corn
meal Is discriminating admits of no
doubt. that Is provided the meal is
damaged. There are many thousand
caoes Of pellagra in Italy, and the
doctors there have made exhaustive
study Of the disease,
= Many authorities claim to isolate
the germs either from moulds or
bacteria. but no agreement as to the
cause of pellagra had been
reached"
Lambroso. the greatest of the au.
thorities In Italy, says that the dis
ease Is due to toxyne produced from
moulds.
"Cenci says 1t is due to two forms
OF moulds. aspergillus or penicillium.
another Italian authority-Tizonni--
says 1t Is tue to a bacteria. The
mould Is a fungus"
DR.. Babcock inclines to the thoeory
OF DIR. Lambroso that the disease is
caused from mould. and that dam
aged corn meal Is incriminating.
But" said DIR. Babcock, 'It might
be caused from light bread for that
matter. provided. of course, that the
grain Is damaged. We have reached
no definite conclusion as to the cause.
1T Is useless for American authori-
ties to claim to have isolated parti-
cular germ.
DR.. G. HI. Lavinder, of the United
States Marine Hospital Service, has
been here for four months working
on pellagra at the State Hospital.
Clinics have been held for physicians
every Tuesday before DR.. Lavinder
returns to Washington.
DR.. Babcock's opinion on the mat
ter will have tendency to explode
some Of the many theories that re-
Gently have been expounded because
heh as made a study of pellagra.
While he does not say that the true
cause of the disease is known, he
does believe that damaged grain is
discriminating and that the germ
theory Is not correct.
From Augusta the theory has re-
Gently been given that pellagra is not
caused by damaged corn as food. In
stating that damaged corn has to do
with the disease DR.. Babcock said
that no one need have any fear from
corn that Is all right, but that it is
only the damaged grain which may
have some great bearing on the study
Of pellagra.
Drs. Babcock and Lavinder are
preparing a translation now Of one of