The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1911-08-16
PELLAGRA IS
NOT CATCHING"
Declares Conference of
Doctors at COrbin.
FAIL TO LOCATE THE CAUSE
For the Dread DiSease-Sev-
eral Cases We're Submit.
ted by Doctors.
AN INTERESTING DISCUSSION


State Board of Health, superintend-
ents of the State asylums for the
insane and nearly 100 physicians
practicing in the mountain counties
of Whitley, Laurel, Bell and Knox,
where pellagra is prevalent, and
after a public clinic at which pa
tients suffering from the disease
were exhibited and the history of
their cases was given by the attend
ing physicians, a statement was
adopted by the members of the con-
ference declaring the cause of the
disease to be unknown, but caution
ing the public against the use of
diseased corn and recommending an
improvement of sanitary conditions
of the homes of the people.
The physicians asserted that pei
iagra is not communicable and said
that cases should not be quarantine
ed. They asked the State Board of
Health TO gather full data of the
disease in Kentucky and requested
physicians to report every case to
the board with such facts as will
tend to increase knowledge of the
malady.
The declaration was drafted by a
committee appointed on motion of
DR.. ]. n. Mccormack, secretary of
the State Board of Health, and COM
posed of DR.. Mccormack and the
following: DR.. Fl. V. Pennington,
London; DR.. T. w. Gardiner, Mad
isonville. member of the State
Board of Charitable Institutions;
DR.. NJ. w. Steele. Corbin; DR.. II. s.
Keller. Frankfort, member of the
State Board of Health; DR.. ]. G..
Foley, Pineville. and DR.. +. r..
Clark, Lexington. 1t was adopted
without a dissenting vote.
Pellagra first made its appear
ance in the southeastern counties of
Kentucky about two years ago.
There are now about fifty clearly
developed cases in Whitley county
and about one hundred cases in ad-
Joining counties. There have been
more than twenty deaths from pei
lagra in these counties since the dis
ease got a foothold here.
In the absence of any treatment
approved by the text books and the
schools, the physicians of this Sec
ton have been left to their own de-
vices in fighting the disease. At
the conference to-day they gave de-
tailed accounts of numbers of cases
and results obtained from different
methods of treatment. Men, wo-
men and children In the different
stages of pellagra were brought
from the country around and the
members of the assembly were Civ
en- an opportunity of making exam
nations of the symptoms and eff
fects of the disease.
The frightful effect of the dis
ease was clearly shown in the ema-
ciated bodies. hollow cheeks and
parchment-like skin,an the vacant,
listless stare of those who have
been afflicted for a long time. Man
ifesting itself at first by q redness
and soreness of the wrists and fore
arms, not unlike sunburn, CASTRO
intestinal trouble soon develops,
the sufferer fails to assimilate his
food. the skin becomes dry and
hard. sometimes peeling off in
sheets, the patient becomes forget
full, apathetic and dispondent, final
~ lapsing into some form of de-
mentia. Insanity is the result and
not cause of pellaera those who
are familiar with the disease say.
Most of the patients suffering from
pellagra in the asvlums for the in
sane of the State contracted the dis
ease. 1t is said, before their admis-
sion to the institutions.
Physicians at the demonstration
to-day showed their absolute assur-
ance that pellagra is not contagious
by rubbing their hands over the in
famed hands and arms of the vic
Tins.
DR.. 7. Fl. Hendry, of Cary, first
gave history of pellagra In the
United States and in Kentucky. af-
ter which he presented a fully de-
veloped case in the person OF one of
his patients, who had had the dis
ease six years. Treatment with
iodine. Dr. Hendry said, had allay-
ed the disease. hut bad not effected
a cure or checked it permanently.
He gave history of the case and
q description of it's Manifestations
"a good deal has been said about