The Yazoo sentinel. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1878-1916, 1915-07-22
PELLAGRA IN MISSISSIPPI
INCREASING ALARMINGLY
MORE THAN ONE THOUSAND
CASES REPORTED.
The Only Known Cure is TO See
That the Patient Has the
Proper Diet.

sued the following circular on inc SUP
jet Of pellagra:
For the year 1914 there were 10,-
s54 cases Of pellagra reported to the
State Board Of Health through the
county health officers, as compared
with 6,90i for the preceding year.
This shows more Of an increase than
probably actually existed, but without
fear Of contradiction, Il can be said
that pellagra Is increasing at an
alarming rate The basis for this as
sertion is the increase for the year
1914 in the number Of deaths from
this cause, as compared with that for
the year 1913. With practically the
came number Of deaths from all causes
reported for the past two years, the
number Of deaths reported from pei
lagra for the year 1914 was 1892, as
compared with 795 for the year 1913.
The death rate for 1914 was 62.7
per hundred thousand population, as
compared with rate Of 42,4 for 1919,
This means that the death rate for
1914 increased over AZ per cent over
that for the year 1913.
Pellagra is one, IL not the most i'm
portant disease, with which we are
confronted at this time, and II de-
serves more attention than IL has re-
ceived to date. During the year 1914
in the number of deaths 1t was third,
being only exceeded by tuberculosis
and pneumonia pelagra caused more
deaths during this year than typhoid
fever, smallpox measles, scarlet few
err, influenza, epidemic cerebrospinal
meningitis and acute poliomyelitis
combined. Pellagra affects both
whites and negroes; for the year 1914
the white rate was 30S and the negro
rate nearly three times as large, be-
ing s7.6 per hundred thousand pop
ulation.
The mortality from pellagra, based
WI NhS huIHntA vi NuaVh ASpOhbeu LUZ
all deaths, was 1913 per cent; white
mortality Ga per cent and negro 1874
per cent. On this basis, the negro
mortality is more than twice that of
the white.
Pcllagra is not confined to any par
ticular section Of the State, as IL was
reported from every county in the
State, and every county had deaths
from pellagra for the year 1914, with
the exception of Hancock, Pearl River
and Winston. The greatest number
of deaths from this cause was report
ed from counties having hospitals;
Kinds led with TO deaths, Lauder
dale n, Adams SO. The other coun-
ties having more than 30 deaths were
as follows; Sunhower, 81; Coahoma,
&C.; Warren, 43; Bolivar, 30; Lowndes
and Pamela, 81 each; Forrest and
Washington, 80 each; and Copiah, 30.
A great many Investigations of this
disease have been made in this coun-
try and Europe. A little over year
ago DR.. Joseph Goldberger Surgeon
of the United States Public Health
Service, was placed in charge of
corps OF men for the purpose Of in
vestigating the case Of pellagra, and
il is the opinion Of DR. Goldberger
that pellagra is due to one sided or {
diet, which is deficient in I
the proteid elements. II was reported
in the weekly publication Of the {
Health Reports Of the United States G
Public Health Service that this was I
not only tine cause. but that by sup !
plying the proteid elements that pei {
agra could be cured. t
IL has been reasonably we'll estah. !,
ished that pellagra is not a com =
disease, and that beneficial =
'esults have been obtained in insti- '
utions and private practice by follow y
ng the idea of Doctor Goldberger y
hat pellagra is due to a deficiency y
4 the proteid elements, by feeding !,
'ellagrins on a diet composed Of lean u
neat. milk, eggs and beans. II
Without any other successful line
I treatment for pellagra, /, is the =.
uty Of every physician to follow the
Of Doctor Goldberger in
he treatment Of pel'agra. So far.
here have been no drugs that have
o3res for this disease There m
ore, by following mis- suggestions, no er
arm can be done, as the proper feed 81
e Of individuals, either well or sick, W
advisable. ~ Sr
There is plenty Of evidence to sup pr
OFT the dietary treatment Of pei St
gra. In several institutions where err
has been possible to see that pa tin
en.s are given the proper foods, MI
ID that they eat il. some remarkable I'M
suits have so far been obtained In Ia
iese institutions having large per- Of
'ntage Of pellagrins. last year the to