The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1915-08-25
PELLAGRA NOT INFECTIOUS.
DIR. Joseph GOldbcrgcr, Government
Expert. Gives His Reasons for Say

| ing SO.
! Charleston Post
Seeing is believing and it is upon
this basis that the United Sttaes bu-
reau OF public health has instituted Il
campaign for the absolute eradication
of pellasra at the Epworth Orphanage
in Columbia. :. c.. according to DR..
Joseph Goldbergcr. head Of the de-
partment of pellagra research of that
buerau, 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 demon
stratiOn 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 the last year
than at any other time, it is asserted.
Naturally" said DR.. Goldberger in
speaking of the cost of this undertake
ing, 1T is going to cost the govern
.ment some money but it shows, when
we agree to furnish part Of the diet
necessary for the treatment of pella-
grins, how thoroughly we are convinc-
cd that the disease is brought on sole
ly by improper dieting, and because
We are positive that with a well-bal-
] a of hn
ly done away with. The work will be
begun about September i.
II can not emphasize too strongly
the fact" said Mr.. GOldberger. that
pellagra Is not communicable. Of
course there are q number of it's
phases that have led many to believe
that 1t was contagious or infectious,
but from our studies covering a great
period Of time and carried on under
all conditions. We are certain that
there is nothing of communica BILE
nature to pellagara.
'"To further clinch the argument
that pellagra can not be communicate
ed 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 every kind of disease and they
take it rapidly. yet when we inoculate
them with pellagra they refuse to
take 1t. SmpallpoX, whOoping cough.
measles. in fact almost every kind of
a disease has been tried on the monk
eys and they have always been sus-
ceptible, but with the pellagra there
Is nothing doing. BY the fact that
they do not take pellagra, while they
do take away other disease, it is PROV
en- almost conclusively that pellagra
is not communicable"
DR.. GOldberger visited Savannah
this time for the purpose of comforting
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 part of the report to be
made by the bureau Of public health
upon the pellagra question
However," said DR.. Goldbcrger,
the government is not going to wait
until It's report is issued, before it
tackles pellagra and checks it, but has
secured enough practical results from
the studies made of the disease, to
enable the bureau to go ahead in its
campaign for the eradication of this
disease.
"Own cow" Is still the slogan of
the department of pellagra research,
and ii the farmers can be educated to
the point where they realize that by
owning COW, keeping it in good con-
dition, and using the milk derived
therefrom, they are lessening the
chances OF their getting pellagra be-
cause of their one-sided diet, the de-
partment believes that it will have
done something towards stopping the
ravages Of pellagra. or course milk
alone VIII not prevent pellagra, but
when the farmer has milk, and eats
meat and eggs instead Of selling them
20 the city folks. he will never have
; peiiagra, the experts say.
In describing the work to be done
at the Epwotrh Orphanage at Column
bia, DIR. Goldberger said it wou,d no
nothing more than the feeding of the
Zoo inmates OF the institution on a
oiet prescribed by the bureau of pub
lie health. This diet, which includes
FOODS Of varied sort and OF high M.
trltious value, is the one that has been
tried on inmates of other institutions
In the country with the result that of-
ter time, pellagra has been wipod ON.
entirely