The Devils Lake world and inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1915-1920, 1915-11-18
.PE[[ACRA CURE
IS DISCOVERED
PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE DIS
COVERS CAUSE AND CURE OF
PELLAGRA. PELLAGRA CAUS-
ED BY INSUFFICIENT PROTEID
DIET.

Announcement was made at the
Treasury Department today that as a
result of continued research and ex-
periments 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 in the United
States at a terrific rate during the past
few years, may now be checked and
eventually eradicated. Assistant Sec
rotary Newton, in charge of the Pub
lie Health Service, expressed great in
terest in the discovery and regards it
as one of the most important achieve
ments 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 di-
seases will have occurred in. the Unit
ed States in 1915, and of this number
at least $500 will have died before the
end of the year. In many sections on
" tuberculosis and pneumonia exceed
it as a cause of death.
The final epoch-making experiment
Of the Public Health Service was car
ried out at the farm Of the Miss;s-
sippi State Penitentiary about eigh:
miles east of Jackson, Miss, and to-
gether with the previous work Of the
Service completes the chain in the pre-
vention and cure of the disease. The
work at the Mississippi Farm has been
in charge of Surgeon Joseph COLDER
ger and Assistant Surgeon G. A.
Health Service. The farm consists of
Wheeler of the United States Public
5000 acres in the center Of which is
the convict camp. The final expert
n,ent was undertaken for the purpose
of testing the possibility of producing
pellagra in a healthy human white
adult males by a restricted. one-sided,
mainly carbo- hydrate ~(cereal) diet.
Of eleven convicts who volunteered
for this experiment, six developed a
typical dermatitis and mild nervous
gastro-intestinal symptoms.
Experts, including Dr.. E. H. Gallo
way, the Secretary Of the Mississippi
State Board Of Health, DR.. Nolan
Stewart, formerly superintendent OF
the Mississippi State Hospital for the
Insane at Jackson, DR.. Marcus Hause.
Professor of Dermatology, Medical
college Of the University Of Tennessee.
Msmphis, Tenn, and DIR. Martin R
Engman, Professor of Dermatology in
the Washington Medical School, St
Louis, Mo-, declares that the disease
which was produced was true pellag-
ra.
Prior to the commencen,e: = OF these
experiments no history could be founG
of the occurrence Of pellagra on the
penitcntiary farm. On this farm are
rs to 80 convicts. Governor Ear
Brewer offered to pardon twelve Of the
convicts who would volunteer for thu
experiment. They were assured tina,
they would receive proper carr
throughout the experiment, ant
treatment should it he necessary
F; The diet given was bountiful ane
more THAN sufficient to sustain life
It differed from that given other con
victs merely in the absence Of meats
milk, eggs, beans, peas and s;mila1
proteid foods. In every other perticu
lar the conviots selected for the ex
pertinent were treated exactly as wer'
the remaining convicts. They had tn
same routine work and discipline, tn
same period of recreation and tn
same water to drink. Their quarter