Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1910-04-06
NEW DISEASE HITS PRISONERS.
Experts Declare COnvicts Sent From
Charleston Have Hrrii,cri.
columbia State.)


ton county are In the hospital a! the
State pcnitentiary suffering from Sc
rious cases Of beriberi. a. deadly
tropical disease. This announcement
was made yesterday by DR.. G.. r.. Will
liams, secretary of the State Board
Of Health, after an examination OF
the negroes, togethe. with DR.. Long,
Of the United States public health
and ma Inc hospital service, who is
In Columbia making a study Of pei
, lagra. Six other cOnvictS from Char
lesion present strong symptoms OF
| the disease.
The fourteen ConvictS were brought
to Columbia from Charleston on Mon
day. They were sent from the diff
ferent stockades in Charleston coun-
ty. Several days ago Dr. Williams
received letter from Dr.. Allen Jer-
, vey. Of Charleston, saying that the
| negro cOnvicts were affected with
| geriberl and that they would be
sent to the State penitentiary for
treatment. DR.. Williams will leave
for Charleston within the next few
| days for the purpose Of making a
study Of the conditions under which
the negroes worked.
After All examination Of the ne
groes, their atIliction was pronounced
beriberi by both Dr. Williams and
DR.. Long. Each has observed the
diesase in al OF its phases in he
Far East
Dr. Williams said Yesterday that
/ he had never heard Of case OF beri-
beri in the eastern section OF the
United States. but that there had
san Francisco several years ago.
Medical authorities are divided as
to the cause Of beribcri. One theory
is that the disease is caused by eat
ing dccayed rice. The negroes at
the penitcntiary suffering from the
disease say that the last rice that
they ate was on Christmas day and
that 1t had not been a regular diet up
until that time
Medical writers on the subject Of
beriberi say that the area OF the en-
dcmic distribution is cO-eXtcnSive
probably with the tropical and sub
tropical belts. and that it doubtless
exists in many places where its pres
cnce is not suspected. 1t IS the
Scourgc OF many Of the mines and
plantations OF the Malay and Eastern
archipelago. 1t is apt to break out
among the cOOlie gangs at work on
such projects as the Panama Camel.
The disease is at home in many parts
of Japan, China, India. Africa and
all South American countries The
disease is also found in the East and
West Indian Islands. Recently beri-
b"ri showed itself in a lunatic asy-
lum in Ireland and there are some
doctors who think that the disease
Is prevalent in many OF the insane
aSElumS in the United States. This
statement is very uncertain
Ber'beri is sometimes found among
the sailors on board vessels arriving
at ports in the United States from
tropical countries.
Caused by Dccaycd Cereals.
Some medical experts think that
beriberi is caused by eating decayed
rice and that 1t goes hand-in-ha
with pellagra. There are four dis
eases very similar in nature which
are caused by eating decayed cereals.
They are classed as follows:
BerlDeri ....... rice.
ErSOt,Im rye.
I-hihis slSHl Fetcn.
This comparison proves very inter
esting and Is Of vital Importance in
view OF the fact that there are so
many cases of pellagra in the State.