The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-11-12
ANNOUNCEMENT OF CURE FOR PELLAGRA FROM WASHINGTON
bread Malady Will Be Checked and Eradicated
 in United States
'INAL TESTS MADE ON MISSISSIPPI CONNECTS
outhern Medical Association Dis- cusses New Cure for Disease Perfected by Surgeon
 Goldberger

d Washington. November 11-Discov- Fry of the cause and cure for pellagra las announced formally tonight by the #ablic health service. The announce Bent follows the recent publication of report by surgeon Joseph Goldberger
 q year of experiments in co-opera-
 ion with southern state health offi- als demonstrating the correctness of #le theory that one-sided diet lack @g in proteids would cause the dis Eslse and that well balanced diet #ouid cure it.
 The spread of this dread malady,
 hich has been increasing in the United Rates at a terrific rate during the past
 w years, may now be checked and
 Ventually eradicated,' says the service
 satement It is estimated that 75,000
 Rses of the disease will have occurred
 the United States in 1915, and of
 led before the end of the year. In
 any sections only tuberculosis and
 neumonia exceed it as cause of
 eath.''
 The final dietary tests were made
 Surgeon Golberger and Assistant
 urgeon G. A. Wheeler at the farm
 the Mississippi penitentiary, where
 ellagra by feeding them for five
 onths on bountiful meals consisting
 niefly of cereals and sweets and lack
 lg in meats, milk, eggs, beans and
 eas. The victims recently were par
 oned by the governor and are being .estored to health through a corrected &et.
 Symptoms of Disease
 Although the occurrence of nervous
 smptoms and o-intestinal disturb &nces was noted early" says the. ser lice statement, 'it was not until Sep ember 12, or about five months after &1e beginning of the restricted diet, hat the skin symptoms so character &tic of pellagra began to devlop. The Eonvicts upon whom the experiment Aas made were kept under continuous @ledjcal surveillance. No cases of pel- 3lgra developed in camp excepting
 mong those men who were on the re- tricted diet. The experimenters have therefore drawn the conclusion that 2ellagra has been caused in at least six If II volunteers as a result of the one Eded diet on which they subsisted. "On the basis of this discovery the fates of Mississippi, Louisiana and Flor 5ia have laid their propaganda through Rre respective boards of health for the Sradication of the disease" In earlier experiments about 200 pel- q grin patients had been cured by bal znced rations, and at the end of a year here had been a slight recurrence of 1he disease in only one instance. Physicians Differ Dallas Tex, November 11.-Sharp of opinion as to the cause Ind treatment of pellagra marked the hal symposium of the Southern Medi- |al association which concluded it's an- i ual convention here today. The dietary theory, recently advanced M Dr. Joseph Goldberger of the United Btates public health service, was the prin- kipal subject of discussion, and news re- Eorts of his work appearing in the lay 9ress' were criticised as misleading. Il Several physicians said newspapers had Printed headlines that cure had been ound, but that Dr. Goldberger had not fnnounced anything more than a very Sood treatment for the disease, possibly he best treatment yet known. Dr. Robert Wilson, Jr., of Charleston las elected president of the association 1t today's business session. and Atlanta Ras selected as the next place of meet hg.
 Resolutions adopted included recom- |lendations that the irregular military es- Fablishment for the United States should |qual at least seventy-five hundredths of he enlisted strength, or such number Is the surgeon general deems necessary" "
 Diet and Treatment Dr. Allan w. Freeman of the United States public health service read to the kellagra symposium a copy of the diet Which, he said, Dr. Goldberger found had tendency to produve pellagara. pr. Freeman pointed out that it was almost Inc identical diet of every person of boor means in the south, and appealed to he physicians to accept for their own Rse and experiment the treatment Dr. Eoldberger has demonstrated. s'Dr Goldberger," he said. does not klaim to prove that dset is the only cause for pellagra. But he does claim that Through diet he has prevented pellagra knd that through diet ne has produced k.''
 Dr. Stewart l.. Roberts of Atlanta said That as pellagra is wasting disease. a liet including such food as peas beans Ind fresh meats, whicu were among the krticles recommended by Dr.. Goldberg. would tend toward relief for the reason [hat they are rich in the elements neces- Fary to restore wastagA.
 However" he said, we should have |huch more evidence than that yet sub |nitted to prove pr. Goldberger's theory bf diet"
 Dr. Roberts added s1at he did not be- |ieve it possible to say peIlagra patient had recovered until the passage of at least three years, during which time no bymptoms of the disease appeared He Thought that when the cause of pelIagra Is discovered it will be either a parasite pr poison
 General Discussion pr. Allan Eustis of New Orleans said khat while at first he had doubted the hiet treatment, he had become "con- kert" after a talk with pr. Goldberger. He suggested that physicians ought to hwait Dr. Goldberger's full report on Bis experiments before making a de- eision
 Whatever the final proof on diet treatment might show, said Dr. s. o. M. Marchman of Dallas even if tn Treatment fails. it should start study |with renewed vigor and hope of soon Betting pellagra under control, He said khere probably are between 35.0OO and |50,000 pellagra cases In Texas. Dr. K. [190r the first pellagra death was re- |corted in Texas and that last year 500 deaths were repo -5e
 II think" pr. seali ssid "hat the
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