Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-08-31
PELLAGRA
Expert Says Dread Disease Can be
Wiped Out.

Expert Says Dread Disease Can DO
Wiped Out.
Seeing is believing" and 1t is up
on this basis that the United States
bureau Of public health has instituted
a campaign for the absolute eradica-
ton of pellagra at the Epworth or
phanage, in Columbia, s. c., accord
ing to DR.. Joseph Goulberger, 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
o%nstration to those who have tried for
the last eight years to do away with
pellagra at this institution and have
not succeeded. Instead Of decreasing
the number of cases each year, there
were more at the end Of last year
than at any other time, it is asserted.
Naturally" said DR.. Goldberger,
in speaking Of the cost Of this under
taking, at is going to cost the gov
eminent some money, but 1t 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
about solely by improper dieting, and
because we are positive that with a
well balanced dist pcllagra can be alb
solutely done away with. The work
will be begun about September 1.
PeIIasra Not Contagious.
II can not emphasize too strongly
the fact" said DIR. Goldberger, that
pellagra is not communicable. or
course there are a number Of its phas-
es that have led many to believe that
1t was contagious or infectious, u
from our studies covering a great pc
Rod Of time and carried on under all
conditions, we are certain that there
is nothing Of a communicable nature
pellagra-
ITO further clinch the argument
that pellagra cannot be communicated
from one person to another take the
results of our experiments upon the
monkeys we have at the hospital.
I'VE have inoculated these monkeys
with evory kind of disease and they
take it rapidly, yet when we ~inoculate
them with pcllngra they refuse to take
it. Smallpox, w%hooping 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 do
ing. By the fact hat they do not
take pellagra, while they do take 9TH
err disease, 1t is proven almost conclus-
lively that pellagra is not communica-
ble."
"own a Cow" Still Slogan.
DR.. Goldberger visited Savannah
this time for the purpose Of confer
ring with Doctors Ridlon and Francis
on 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.. G~oldberger,
"the government is not going to wait
until its report IL issued, before 1t
tackles pellagra and checks it, but 1t
has secured enough practical results
from tho studies made Of the disease,
to enable the bureau to go ahead In its
campaign for the eradication Of this
disease.
"Own a cow" Is still the slogan Of
the department Of pellagra research
and IL farmers can be educated to the
point where they realize that by own
ing a cow, keeping it in good condi-
ton, and using the milk derived there
from, they are lessening the chances
of their getting pellagra because Of
their one-sided diet, the department
believes that it will have done m
thing 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.
Government Prescribes Diet.
In describing the work to be done
at the Epworth orphanage, in Column
bia, DR.. Goldberger said 1t would be
nothing more than the feeding Of the
$50 inmates Of the institution on a
diet prescribed by the bureau Of pub
lie health. This diet, which includes
foods Of a varied sort and of high nu-
tritious value, is the n that has been
tried on inmates Of other institutions
in the country with the result that
after a time, pellagra had been wiped
out entirely.
"Of course" concluded DR.. Gold
berger, "just because a man who has
pellagra decides to eat a rational or
we'll balanced meal once in a while, Is
no sign he is going to get rid OF the
disease. The idea Is to feed the pa
tient IN the diet for a liked period OF
time and let him have nothing but
this diet. Then when the treatment Is
over, the patient will be free from
pellagra. but as long as he returns to
the foods that he had been specialize
ing on previous to his being given the
government diet, he will lay himself
liable to getting pellagra again.
1.-The best plan," said DR.. Goldberg
err, "is to eat plenty of meat and eggs
and drink milk. Do not eat too much
Of just one kind Of food and you will
never have pellagra. Animals are
given balanced rations to make them
healthy and keep them in good condi-
tion-why shouldn't the same thing
apply to the human being?"