The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1911-09-29
PELLAGRA
WHOLE SOUTH
The Most important Health
Problem Today. Says
Medical Journal.

the acknowledgements of pellagra
renders quarantine inadvisable and
unnecessary, and so far as known this
measure has not been adopted by ex-
perienced authorities In their strug-
giles against the disease. That health
authorities and physicians generally
are alive to the necessity of vigorous
action. however. is shown by the In
terest taken by them In the subject.
ION the other hand, press reports
and editorial comments indicate that
the public is becoming much exercised
over the situation. In an editorial in
one Of the southern papers the situa-
ton in North Carolina is referred to
as alarming, and the medical profess
sion is called on to devote more of It's
time and thought to the problems In,
volved
ION the whole, the pellagra situa-
ton must be viewed with serious con-
Germ. The disease has been reported
from more than thirty states. its area
is extending. and its presence Is a
menace TO the physical and mental In
tegrity of large number of people,"
Reports just received from Augusta.
Ga, indicate that in that city at least
the disease is almost entirely confined
to women. Although the disease is
reported to the board of health there,
there is no record Of a child having
had 1t. One man was stricken with II
and died, but there is no other in
stance of a male having been afflicted
with pellagra in Augusta.
On the other hand, some fifty wom-
en- have been stricken there. Strange
ly enough, nearly all Of these women
lived In one ward. Treatment seems
to be Of little avail, and but few re-
coveries are reported. Twin sisters
died in the Fifth ward of pellagra
within a few days Of each other.
The board of health Of Augusta has
taken no steps to fight the disease, the
authorities being at an utter loss as
to the best course TO pursue. Local
physicians eagerly take up every new
remedy suggested by any medical au-
thortty whose name carries weight
but the results so far have been dis
couraging.
Pellagra In the Country.
In the rural districts of Georgia con-
ditions are similar to those in Au-
gusta. The physicians of the Eighth
congressional district met recently to
discuss the situation. Those present
reported that they were attending
more than fifty patients suffering from
the disease, oil of whom. with two ex-
ceptions, were women.
DR.. Roy Harris, secretary Of the
state board of health of Georgia, who
Is one Of the best known physicians in
the south, Is reported to have declared
that pellagra Is not a contagious dis
ease and results solely from eating
poisonous foods. He says 1t is a va
riety Of ptomaine poisoning arising
from the indigestion Of corn products
prepared from diseased grain. This is
the view most popular In Italy, where
the disease has f1ourished for centuries
1t is the simple ignorance Of the
people," according to DR.. Harris. who
should be better informed. that is caus-
ing the present agitation and fear Of
pellagra."
DR.. Harris declares that. although
the disease appeared In the south only
a few years ago, there are now at least
$4,000 cases in the southern states
alone. The disease is a most distress
ing one. causing visible physical symp-
toms which the layman cannot con-
template with eQuanimity, while the
mental symptoms are such as to re-
quire the detention OF the majority of
the victims in the state asylums. The
three state institutions in South Car
oli1e are now crowded with them.
DR.. Harris maintains that the state
of Georgia could arrest the progress
Of pellagra and wipe 1t out in FIVE
years by prohibiting the importation
of western corn, which, he says, is
badly damaged in the winter and then
shipped to the south. He asserts that
unless southerp physicians can obtain
legislative assistance the fight against
the disease will be practically hope
less.