Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-01-04
PELLAGRA SPREADS
ALL OVER THE j. s.
McAdoo and Blue Call Atten-
ton to 1t as a ma
tionaI Menace"
MUST HAVE FUNDS QUICKLY
AND A HOSPITAL IN SOUTH
Resembling Leprosy, $4,000 Cases
in Six Years Are Creating Insan-
ity and Causing Death.

ity and Causing Death.
; Gases of pellagra have increased SC
| alarmingly in number in the six years
since the discovery of the disease that
IL Is national menace, according to re-
] ports laid before Secretary McAdoo by
surgeon General Elue of the public
health service.
Since the disease was discovered in
l9W there have been about 10000 cases
OF 1t in forty-four states of the Union
and national remedy. Il national de-
tense, is said to be imperative
| Something must be done, and is to be
| done quickly If the voice of the suffer-
ers. the tnsistence Of representatives in
Congress of the worst infected sections
OF the country and of Secretary McAdoo
and his assistant secretary, Bryon r.
Newton of the Treasury Department,
who have planned an offensive campaign
are needed by Congress. About $4,000
| is needed and asked of Congress for spe-
| cial study of the disease, to discover, If
possible, its cause and to check its rapid
spread.
Want Hospital in South.
Urgent demand is to made upon Con-
gress for appropriation Of a sum suffl-
cient to rent a hospital building in one
OF the southern states where the disease
IS most prevalent, and there establish
laboratories and maintain limited num-
Der Of patients under care of specialists,
in all its phases. Sentiment of southern
congressman, within whose jurisdiction
come the greater number of cases, is
said to assure prompt and thorough
consideration of the appeal.
What is the cause OF dread pellagra no
one Knows. despite wealth of literature
on the subject and theories and conjec-
lures OF l.len of several generations who
have had the disease under observation
through several centuries of European
ravage. That some evil quality of food
taken into the system is responb!le is the
consensus of opinion. but what is the
destroying property of that food is not
certain. Change of diet and improved
and different food sometimes offer a
remedy, partial or perfect.
Among those whose nourishment is
defective in GuaIity-the poorer inhabi-
tants of rural districts, who maintain
life on little and bad food--are the most
subject to pellagra. Yet the well-to-do
are not immune, and cases have been
diagnosed where nothing in the history
of the patient conformed to that of the
general plague-afhicted class.
In District of Columbia.
In the District OF Columbia, about a
year ago. colored girl, inmate of a
correctional school, was taken to the
hospital suffering with a disease which
the public health officials of Washington
finally diagnosed as pellagra. This dag
nosis was confirmed by experts in the
United States public health service. In
der improved diet the patient Improved,
and finally was discharged as cured.
Boston recently discovered three cases
in its city hospitals. While the disease
Is most prevalent in the southeast, yet
not state in the Union can regard
itself as immune from visitation, and
only four have SO far escaped some
manifestation.
Statistics of the public health service
are presented to show that Irellagsa is
increasing at a terrifyingly tremendous
rate So far pelagra has defed the skill
OF medical experts. So great is the con-
Germ in many sections of the south that
! Secretary McAdoo has been implored to
| take necessary steps to enable the public
health service to apply it's facilities for
investigation and its experience to wip-
| ing out the plague
| In one county of South Carolina not
| closely inhabited, there are now more
| than Go cases. While for many years
| pellagra was supposed to be confined to
the south. it has recently appeared north
and SOUTH east and west, in nearly every
| state of the Union.
Pellagra was first commented upon In
F., 1875 by Spanish physician, who OBJ
served the disease III his own country.
Italy has suffered for nearly two cen
E! turtles. and Dr. Caesar LON broSo. one of
the foremost italian observers, wrote ex-
tensively upon the subject, advancing
| his theories of cause and cure.
More Dreaded Than Leprosy.
-! In some of its phases it is declared
pellagra resembles leprosy: in some re-
spects 1t is even more to be dreaded In
sanity is one of It's worst manifestations.
Men run amuck' in their daily occupa-
tions mentally seized by the disease. In
the madhouses many cases OF pallagra
| are first diagnosed, when its ravages
I have approached the worst phase. There
are sections of tho south where the in
sane asylums and the hospitals are
taxed to capacity with pellagra vic.
| ting.
| One physician in reporting conditions
| in his locality recently said:
! Calling IL pelagra, the public does moi
know the nature of the malady and gives
/ very little need 10 IT'S great menace
| Were VIC to speak of it as leprosy the
! whole country would be crying out in
| wild alarm. So far as the public menace
! goes, We are not yet justified in saying
| that 1t is not just as great as dread
| leprosy itself.
There has been a popular notion tina,
| 1t is caused by d corn diet. Physicians
are not ready to adopt that theory, 1,
| is declared. One chief purpose In es-
| tablishing the special hospital is to de-
| velop research in that direction. 1t is
also unknown whether or not the disease
| Is communicable and by what means II
| is transferred, il at all.
The most characteristic symptom OF
the disease is an accute rash on the
! hands and parts of the body. This
manifestation is said oftentfmes to re-
semble scald or severe sunburn. Soon
after this appears. in severe cases. the
patient becomes seriously Ill, and many
times death or insanity quickly follows
Sometimes the attacks disappear and
| recur with increased violence.
Unknown Until Six Years Ago.
While probably existent in parts OF
the United States for a great many
years, peilagra was an unknown and
negligible quantity in this country unit
| the years 1861. Appearing then, an6
| recognized in some numbers in the
state OF Alabama. say public healtf
in the number of its victims and the
I c