The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1915-09-01
DIETING TO CURE PElllGRi.
TREATMENT Is NOT "FLAsm IN
THE PAN
Dr. Goidbergcr. Government Surgeon.
To Take Charge of situation ut Ep-
worth Orphanagc.

"eFser' M ~, mead OF the department
OF pellagra research Of the United
States public health service. arrived
In Columbia yesterday and will intro
duce at once a system of dieting at
the Epworth orphanage 10 wipe out
pellagra. More than $50 OF the $50
children at the orphanage have been
attacked by the disease at different
times. and the course OF treatment to
be introduced Is no flash I'm the pan,
To quote DIR. Goldberger. as II Is to be
kept up n year or two. DR.. Gold
berger will not remain permanently In
Columbia. During his absence, the
work will be under the supervision of
Dr. Tarner, also OF the public health
department. who has given much at
tention TO the pellagra commissions s.
efforts I'm spartanburg. The physicians
will also have the cooperation Of II.
w. Rice, M. d.. the orphanage ply
sician. under whose treatment great
relief has already been brought to the
patients Plans are To introduce the
system at the orphanage September
4.
The work at the orphanage will take
the form OF n demonstration to those
who have tried for the last eight years
to do away with pellagra at this insti-
tuition.
Naturally" said DIR. Goidberger.
In speaking OF the cost OF this under
taking. 1T Is going to cost the gov
ernment Some money. but IL shows
when we agree TO furnish part OF the
diet necessary for the treatment of
peiiagrins how thoroughly we are con-
vinced that the disease is brought on
solely by improper dieting. and be-
cause We are positive that with we'll
balanced diet pellagra can be abso-
lutely done away with.
II can not emphasize too strongly
the fact" said DR.. Goldberger, that
peilagra is not communicable. or
course there are xa plumber Of It's
phases that have aed many to believe
that u was contagious or infectious,
but from our studies covering a great
period Of time add carried on under
all conditions. we are certain that
there is nothing Of communicable
nature to pellagra.
TO fhrther clinch the argument
that pellskis can not be communi-
Gated from one person TO another
take tho results Of our experiments
upon nc MONKEYS we have at the
hospital.
I'VE have inocpIated these mon
keys with every kind OF disease and
they take II rapidly. yet when we
inoculated them with peliagra they
refuse to take It, Smallpox. whoop-
ing cough. measles. In fact almost
every kind OF a disease has been tried
on the monkeys and they have always
been susceptible. but with the pella-
era there Is nothing doing. BY the
fact that they do not take pellagra.
while they do take many other dis
eases. IL is proven almost conclusive
ly that peliasra Is not communica-
bie.'
own a cow" Is still the slogan of
the department OF pellagra research.
and IL the farmers can be educated to
the point where thoy realize that by
owning a COW. keeping II in good con-
dition. and using the milk derived
therefrom. they are lessening the
chances OF their getting pellagra be-
cause Of their ono-sided diet, the de-
partment bellovs that II will have
done something towards stopping the
ravages OF pellagra. or course milk
alone will not prevent pellagra. but
when the farmer has milk. and eats
meat and eggs he will never have
pellagra. the experts say.
In describing the work TO be done
at the orphanage Dr. Goidberger said
u would be nothing more than the
tseding OF the 200 inmates OF the in
stitution on a diet prescribed by the
bureau OF public health. This diet,
which includes foods of n varied sort
and OF high nutritious value, Is the
one that has been tried on inmates
of other institutions In the country
with tho result that after time pella-
sra has been wiped out entirely.
"of course" concludes DIR. Gold
berger. lust because a man who has
pellagra decides TO eat rational OIL
well balanced meal once in a while
In no sign he Is going TO get rid OF
the disease. The idea Is TO feed the
patient on the diet for IA fixed period
OF time and let him have nothing but
this diet. Then when the treatment
-,