The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1916-12-28
PELLAGRA FOUND
TO Be INFECTIOUS
Investigation by Medical Com
mission Shows It Can Be
Controlled.
NOT DEPENDENT UPON Diet
Best Way to Combat the Disease is
With Efficient Sewage SYSTEM
Some important Discoveries
Are Made.

! but it is not caused by an unbalanced
or Inadequate diet. and the most effec-
tive means of combating it Is by in
staling efficient sewage disposal sys-
TENS in the communities where it is
prevalent, says report issued by the
commission of the Post Graduate Medi-
cal School and Hospital, that has been
/ conducting an extensive investigation
in South Carolina.
! The Importance OF these discoveries
it was pointed out, can better be APP
| ptoHated when II Is recognized thht
more '1"n lOooOO persons IN TINS couh-
| try are known To be suffering from the
disease. There probably are many more
| victims, as several OF the states III
| which 1t IS prevalent are not IN the
federal registration area, ana the eA-
! tent OF the disease mus can only De
! appropriated.
me facts disclosed by Il searching
! inquiry ana long continued oDSerVauoh
/ IN Spartahburg county, South carolina,
where scores OF persons nave dled from
! pellaGra, prove cohcIuSlNely, member
OF the commission SAID, thal' contrary
! TO Inc bellcl generally preNaillhS III
| the North, the disease Is infectious
II spreads through lack OF proper
! sewage lacllitleS, ana IN the opinion Oh
| Inc investigators cannot De contracted
| ny persons merely because thcy 90
not nave proper dlet.
Three Years. investigation.
TO prove the theory three years work
| in Spartan Mills, an industrial dis
| trict in the city of SpartanSburg, has
| just been completed. An efficient sew
| age system was built. Thorough rec
| ords of all cases were kept That com
munity, consisting of 1000 persons, was
| regarded rs one of the worst pellngra
| foci in South Carolina. Scores of
| persons there until recently were at
| tackled by the disease each year.
The result of sewering the commu
nifty is that although numerous old
cases still were present this year, no
one living within the severed district
| contracted the disease in the last II
| months, with "A single exception.
The only new victim was woman
! on inc extreme euee Oh tle community
just across the street from mousse
WIN Surl'ce drainage IN Nhlch
chrome peliaGra Sullerer hNeu' FROM
| liie "orSt type Oh pellaSra LOCUS 'ne
| uiSirlct mas Deeh changed 10 coiliiu-
hity IN when the disease no longer
| Spreads'
Inc reduction III the NUMBER Oh
cases Oh the disease III spartan MINIS
mas impressed Ihe owners Oh announcer
| large mn III lhe county VINO nave
| begun an actiVe llght on the epidemic
III 'helr community ny installing an Ell
ic''nt u'Nposu' s!H''''''
Inc COMMISSION mas NOT discoVereu
me cause OF p"llagra nut asserts that
hhtil sclehtinc research reveals What
prouuceS the uiseaSe, Which causeu
| more ueatLS III South carolina In the
| hrst nan Oh 1919 IMAM any otier maj
| aaS' 'he most ad'isaDie course 10 take
~ 10 sewer to"hS where III prevails
anu lhuS save 'he heaith ana iVeS OF
|
''n''''' IT.
Maize Not Responsible.
Early III IT'S investigation the commits
sion decided mat Inc use OF maize as
II iood could h"' he regarded as the
cssehtlal cause OF pel'agra, nor could
any particular element of the diet be
designated logically AS the cause.
ms conclusion upset the beliet that
persons subSlsllng chiefly on maze
'ohtracteu lhc ulseaSe as result or
the prepohderahce or tllht food IN their
diet' theory Which mas been popular
IN lthIy' ana 10 when the American
puolc mas ciung GENEROUSLY
1t inaugurutcd u hygienicdietetic
treatment OF many patients. The suf-
i'rcrs were brought to the Post Gradu-
me hospital "here they were treated
by rest careful nursing ana proper
"'e'' me results OF thlS regime proved
'Nc''lehl' Inc pauehlS SIMPLY got
WEI" lhere was no medication. The
treatment was similar to that given
to tuberculouS patients.