The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-10-06
PELLAGRA
WHOLE SOUTH
The Most Important Health
Problem Today. Says
Medical Journal.

/ 80 '-..
the noncontagiousness 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 sltua-
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, It's area
Is extending, and its presence Is Il
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 child having
had it. One man was stricken with It
and died, but there Is no other in
stance of 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 u 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-
thority whose name carries weight,
but the results so far have been dis
couraging.
Pellagra In the Country.
In the rural districts of Georgia con
dltions are similar to those in Au
guSta. The physicians of the Eighth
congressional district met recently tc
discuss the situation. Those present
reported that they were attending
more than fifty patients suffering from
the disease, all 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 contagious dis
ease and results solely from eating
poisonous foods. He says it Is 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 flourished for centuries
1t is the simple ignorance of tht
people," according to DR.. Harris, "whC
should be better informed, that is caus
ing the present agitation and fear o,
: pellagra."
DR.. Harris declares that, although
: the disease appeared in the south only
few years ago, there are now at leas
$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 tn,
mental symptoms are such as to re
Quire the detention of the majority o
the victims In the state asylums. TIL
, three state institutions in South Car
, oline are now crowded with them.
DR.. Harris maintains that the stat
Of Georgia could arrest the progress
Of pellagra and wipe it out in fiv
: years by prohibiting the importation
of western corn, which, he says, i
badly damaged in the winter and the1
, shipped to the south. He asserts tina
- unless southerp physicians can obtail
; legislative assistance the fight agains
the disease will be practically hope
less.
I.