The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-11-19
CAUSE AND CURE OF PELLAeRA.

the bench.
CAUSE AND CURE OF RELLAGRA.
Announcement was made ct the
treasury department today that as a
result of continued research and ex-
periments Of the public health ser
vice, both the cause and the cure OF
pellagra have been discovered, and
that the spread of this dread malady,
which has been increasing In the
United States at a terrific rate dur
ing the past few years, may now be
checked and eventually eradica ted
Assistant Secretary Newton in charge
OF the public health service, expressed
great interest in the discovery and
regards it as one of the most impor-
tant 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 10000 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-
leu - dS d cause OF u6aCn.
The final epoch-making experiment
of the public health service was car
ried out at the farm of the Missis-
sippi state penitentiary about eight
miles east of Jackson, Miss. and to-
gether with the previous work OF the
service completes the chain in tn
prevention and cure Of the disease.
The work at the Mississippi farm has
hoan II, oho Of
Goldherger and Assistant Surgeon G..
A. Wheeler of the United States pub.
lie health service. The farm cons lists
Of 5000 acres in the center OF WHICH
is the convict camp The final ex-
pertinent was undertaken for the DIR.
pose Of testing the possibility OF pro
| ducing pellagra In healthy human
white adult males by restricted
one-sided, mainly carbohydrate fcer.
eaD diet, OF eleven eonyicts who
volunteered for, this experiment. SIX
developed typical dermatitis and
| mid nervous gastrointAstinal symp
tong.
Experts, including DR.. F.. H. Gallo
way, the secretary Of the Mississippl
state board of health. Dr.. Nolan ste
wart, formerly superintendent of the
| -sA'DpAooAPPA 0SNeo HoSgltdl fOfr Lis
sane at Jackson, DR.. Marcus Hause
professor of dermatolegy medical
COLLEGE OF the University of Tennes
see, Memphis. Tenn. a>d 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, .... ....
~ IN -
these experiments no history could
! be found Of the occurrence Of pe!la gra
on the penitentiary farm On this
nor Earl Brewer offered to pardon
twelve Of the conyicts who would vol
! unteer for the experiment. They were
assured that they would receive prop
er care throughout the experim ent
and treatment should It be necessary
The diet given was bountiful and
more than sufficient to sustain life
1t differed from that given the othe,
convicts merely in the absence OF
meats, milk, eggs, beans, peas, and
similar proteid foods. In every other
particular the eonviots selected fol
the experim ent were treated exactly
as We're the remaining eonvicts. The,
had the same routine work and disei
pline, the same periods of recreation
and the same water to drink Their
quarters were better than those Of
the other convicts. The diet given
them consisted of biscuits, fried
mush, grits and brown gravy. syrup
corn bread. cabbage. sweet potatoes
rice, eollards and coffee with sugar
All eomponents of the dietary were
of the best quality and were proper1 y
cooked. AS preliminary, and to de-
termine If the conyicts were Athlete
with any other disease, they were
kept under observation from Febru
airy 4th to April eth. two and a half
months, on which data the one sided
diet was begun.
Although the occurrence Of nervous
symptoms and gastro-intestinal dis
turbances was noted early. 1t was not
until September 12th, or about five
months after the beginning of the re-
stricted diet, that the skin symptoms
so characteristic of pellagra began to
develop. These symptoms are con.
| sidered as typical. every preoaution
/ being taken to make sure that they
were not caused by any other disease.
The cenvicts upon whom the expert
mont was being made, as we'll as
| twenty other convicts who were Sc.
lected as controls, were kept under
continuous medical surveillance. No
cases Of peliagra developed in camp
excepting among those men who wero
on the restricted diet The expert
mentors have therefore drawn the con.
clusion that pellagra has been caused
in at least six Of the eleven volun-
teers as a result Of the one sided diet
| on which they substisted
On the basis of this discovery, che
states of Mississippi. Louisiana and
Florida have laid their propaganda