The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1915-09-02
PELLAGRA NOT INFECTIOUS.
DR.. Joseph Goldberger, Government
Expert, Gives Reasons Why.

''Seeing is believing" and it is up
on this basis that the United States
bureau of public health has instltut-
ed a campaign for the absolute eradi-
cation of pellagra at the Epworth
Orphanage in Columbia, S. c., ac-
cording to DR.. Joseph Goldberger,
head of the department of pellagra
research of that bureau, says the
Savannah News, who is stopping at
the De Soto hotel.
This work at the orphanage at Co.
lumbia will take the form of a dem
onstration to those who have tried
for the last eight years to do away
with pellagra at this institution and
have not succeeded. Instead of de-
creasing the number Of cases each
year, there were more at the end OF
the last year than at any other time,
it is asserted.
Naturally said DR.. Goldberger
in speaking of the cost of this under
taking, cit is going to cost the gov
ernment some money, but it shows,
when we agree to furnish part of the
diet necessary for the treatment OF
pellagrins, how thoroughly we are
convinced that the disease is brought
on solely by improper dieting, and
because we are positive that with a
well-balanced diet pellagra can be
absolutely done away with. The
work will be begun about September
first
''I can not emphasize too strongly
the fact said Mr.. Goldberger, that
pellagra is not communicable. OF
course there are number of it's
phases that have led many to believe
that it was contagious or infectious,
but from our studies covering great
period of time and carried on under
all conditions, we are certain that
there is nothing of a communicable
nature to pellagra.
s'To further clinch the argument
!. that pellagra cannot be communicat-
ed from one person to another take
the results of our experiments upon
the monkeys we have at the hospital.
& eve have inoculated these mon
keys with every kind of disease and
they take it rapidly, yet when We in
oculate them with pellagra they re-
fuse to take it. Smallpox, whooping
cough, measles, in fact almost every
kind of disease has been tried on the
monkeys and they have always been
susceptible, but with the pellagra
there is nothing doing. By the fact
that they do not take pellagra, while
they do take away other disease, it is
proven almost conclusively that pei
lagra is not communicable.
DR.. Goldberger visited Savannah
this time for the purpose of confer
ring with Doctors Ridlon and Francis
pn the work done out by them in the
study Of pellagra, and the making of
their report on their researches,
which will form a part of the report
to be made by the bureau of public
health upon the pellagra question.
., "However," said DR.. Goldberger,
s@the government is not going to- wait
until it's report is issued, before it
tackles pellagra and checks it, but
has secured enough practical results
from the studies made of the dis
ease, to enable the bureau to go
ahead in it's campaign for the eradi-
cation of this disease.
Gown cow" is still the slogan of
the department of pellagra research,
and if the farmers can be educated
to the point where they realize that
by owning cow, keeping it in good
condition, and using the milk de-
rived therefrom, they are lessening
the chances of their getting pellagra
because of their one-sided diet, the
department believes that it will have
done something towards stopping the
ravages of pellagra. Of course milk
alone will not prevent pellagra, but
when the farmer has milk, and eats
meat and eggs instead of selling
them to the city folks, he will never
have pellagra, the experts say.
In describing the work to be done
at the Epworth Orphanage at Colum-
bia, DR.. Goldberger said it would be
nothing more than the feeding of the
25a inmates of the institution on
diet prescribed by the bureau of pub
lie health. This diet, which includes
foods of varied sorts and of high nu-
tritious value, is the one that has
been tried on inmates of other insti-
tutions in the country with the re-
suit that after time, pellagra has
been wiped out entirely.
9tOf course concluded DR.. Gold
herger "iust because a man who has