The Hartford republican., 1913-12-05
PELLAGRA IS
INSECT BORNE
Dog and Cat Flea Viewed
With Suspicion.
Dr.. W. A. Dearman Tells Of Ex-
periments Concerning a Dis
ease Prevalent In Ky.

One of the most interesting pa
pers read before the Section OF Med
icine of the Southern Medical Asso-
citation last week was the essay pre-
sented by DIR. w. A. Dearman OF
Long Beach, Miss, at the Wednes-
day afternoon session on "Some views
Of monkeys and rabbits"
Upon the Experimental Inocution
Of his findings in connection with
a number Of experiments with ami
mails, which he had at times in
DR.. Dearman said:
The marked seasonal incidence OF
pellaera, the rise and fall Of pel:agra
and malaria in my section along the
Gulf Coast. prompted and led me
to make investigations along the line
Of insect transmission.
"The first Of my activities in this
direction was with the bedbug. I
was successful In collecting from a
bed which a pellasrin had occupied
for six months, a large number OF
these human parasites, including about
fifty large and small; these were
kept in a wide mouthed. well venti-
lated jar. l induced these bedbugs to
bite and abstract blood from the
large vein underneath the wing of
full-grown chicken. 1t was neces-
sary to extingu.sh the light before
they would begin their blood suck
ing activities. After a few minutes
they were removed to test-tube
and there could be seen many discreet
ecchymOtic spots on the skin over
lying the vein. where they had been
active in abstracting blood. This
process was repeated at intervals Of
every other day for about three weeks
A greater number Of bugs, by this
time were dead. due to their fatal
combat.
"Up to +"e present time. pc
riod of about four months, no LESSONS
have developed In this chicken.
"On several occasions my attention
was attracted by the malignancy Of
certain cases Of pellagra in members
of the same household suffering from
the disease. or in individuals who had
frequently visited these homes .heav-
lily infested with fleas where dogs
were in the habit Of sleeping on
the beds In the dey time. One OF
these patients. Negro woman. gave
q history Of having been infested
with fleas from this dog, and had
noticed no sign of their pellagrous
condition until she had come In
possession of the dog. bought the
dog and Immediately placed him IN
cage with q full grown Rhesus mon
key and kept them continually asso-
ciated for thirty seven days. The
monkey soon became heavily infest-
ed with fleas from this dog. They
could be seen crawling ON her body
and buried in the skin. The dog
soon died from emaciation and black
diarrhoea.
"Up to this time. a period of three
months. no sign of pellagra have
developed In the monkey.
Plague, under the name of black
DEATH which once decimated the
population OF the earth, havins made
Its grewsom appearance first on our
shores in coast cities and towns.a and
being principally transmitted by the
rat flea. induced me- to investigate
this insect Is probable transmitter
OF pelagra. Furthermore. pellagra be-
ing principally European disease
and coming to our shores In exactly
the same manner. first making Its
appearance. according to statistical
records. on the coast OF the Carolinas
and Later invading new territory In
the interior with alarming rapidity
and unahated.
sI have reliable Information that
In Europe. where psllasrs has raw
aged Q country for hundreds of yeaye! !!
there are found Thousands OF NANCY
doss. infested with fleas In that
country. Not unlike conditions In the
United States. Y abttacks and dn-
tests women With an overwhelming
ration In eomparison with the cases
among men. The inssot transmission
hypsthesls might b . partial sx-
planafion for the greater number of
cases occurring In women than In