The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1915-11-26
CAUSE AND CURE OF
PELAGRA FOUND
By us. Public Health Ser
vice--InSufficient Pro-
ted Diet.

Announcement was made at the
Treasury Department last Friday
that as result of continued research
and experiment of the Public Health
Service, both the cause and the cure
of pellagra have been discovered, and
that the spread of this dread malady,
which has been increasing lin the
United States at a terrific rate dur
ing the past few years, may now be
checked and eventually eradicated.
Assistant Secretary Newton, in
charge of the Public Health Service,
expressed great interest in the discov-
cry and regards it as one of the most
important achievements of medical
science in recent years
Pellagra has been increasing alarm
ingly throughout the United States
during the last eight years, and it is
estimated that $4,000 cases of the dis
ease will have occurred in the United
States in 1915, and of this number at
least 1900 will have died before the
end of the year. In many sections
only tuberculosis and pneumonia eX-
coed it as cause of death.
The final epoch-making experiment
of the Public Health Service was car
ried out at the farm of the Mississip-
pi State Penitentiary about eight
miles east of Jackson, Miss, and to-
gether with the previous work of the
Service completes the chain in the
prevention and cure of the disease.
The work at the Mississippi Farm has
been in charge of Surgeon Joseph
Goldberger and Assistant Surgeon G.
A. Wheeler of the United States Pub
lie Health Service. The Farm con-
sists of 5000 acres in the center III
which is the convict camp. The fina!
experiment was undertaken for the
purpose of testing the possibility of
producing pellagra in healthy human
white adult males by restricted, one
sided, mainly carbohydrate Cereal
diet. Of eleven convicts who volun.
teered for this experiment, six devel-
oped a typical dermatitis and mild
nervous CASTRO intestinal symptoms.
Experts, including DR.. E. H. Gallo,
way, the Secretary of the Mississippi
State Board of Health, DR.. Nolar
Stewart, formerly Superintendent OF
the Mississippi State Hospital for the
Insane at Jackson, DR.. Marcus Hause
Professor of NDermatology, Medical
College of the University of Tennes,
see, Memphis, Tenn, and DR.. Martin
R. Engman, Professor of Dermatology
in the Washington Medical School, st
Louis, Mo-, declare that the disease
which was produced was true pella
era.
Prior to the commencement of these
experiments no history could be foune
of the occurrence Of pellagra on the
penitentiary farm. On this farm
are rs or 80 convicts. Governor Ear
Brewer offered to pardon twelve Of
the convicts who would volunteer fol
the experiment. They were assure;
that they would receive proper car,
throughout the experiment, and treat
ment should it be necessary. Tit
diet given was bountiful and more
than sufficient to sustain life. 1t DIFF
fered from that given the other con
victs merely in the absence of meats
milk, eggs, beans, peas, and similal
proteid foods. In every other particu
lar the convicts selected for the ex
pertinent were treated exactly as wert
the remaining convicts. They ha,
the same routine work and discipline
the same periods of recreation anC
the same water to drink. Theil
quarters were better than those o
the other convicts. The diet givel
them consisted of biscuits, fried mush
grits and brown gravy, syrup, corr
bread, cabbage, sweet potatoes, rice
collards and coffee with sugar. Al
components of the dietary were O
the best quality and were properl,
cooked. AS a preliminary, and t
determine if the convicts were affiict
ed with any other disease, they wer,
kept under observation from Febru
airy 4th to April 9th two and hal
months, on which date the one sidet
diet was begun.
Although the occurrence of ner
vous symptoms and gastro-intestina
disturbances was noted early, it wa
not until September 18th, or abou
five months after the beginning o
the restricted diet, that the skin sym
ptoms so characteristic of pellagri
began to develop. These symptom
are considered as typical, every pre-
caution being taken to make sur,
that they were not caused by any otn
er disease. The conyicts upon whom
the experiment was being made, a
well as twenty other convicts VIII
were selected as controls, were KEEP
under cnotinuous medical surveillance
No cases of pellagra developed il
camp excepting among those WIZ
were on the restricted diet. The ex
perimenters have therefore drawn III
conclusion that pellagra has beef
caused in at least six of the clever
volunteers as a result of the one sid
ed diet on which they subsisted.
On the basis of this discovery, tn
Statns of MiSSisSinni n,,irinnn m.