Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1917-03-15
PEllAGRA FOUND
TO Be INFECTIOUS
Investigation by Medical Com
mission Shows It Can Be
Controlled.
NOT DEPENDENT UPON DIET
Best Way 10 Combat the Disease 10
With Efficient Sewage System
Some Important Discoveries
Are Made.

Are Made.
New York.-Pellagra is infectious,
but 1t Is not caused by nm unbalanced
or Inadequate diet, aud the most effec>
tive means Of combating 1t is by in
stalling efficient sewage disposal sys-
TENS in the communities where It Is
prevalent, says u 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,
1t was pointed out, can better be APP
preciated when II Is recognized that
more than 100000 persons In this coun-
try are known to be suffering from the
disease. There probably are many more
victims, as aeyeral of the states in
which 1t is prevalent are not in the
federal registration area, and the eX-
tent of the disease thus can only be
Appropriated.
The facts disclosed by a searching
Inquiry and long continued observation
In ~Spartanburg county, South Carolina,
where scores of persons have died from
peilasra. prove conclusively, a membA
of the commission said, that, contrary
10 the belief generally prevailing In
the North. the disease is infectious.
1t spreads through lack of proper
sewage facilities, and in the opinion of
the investigators cannot be contracted
by persons merely because they do
not have 4 proper diet
Three Years Investigation.
To prove the theory three years work
I'm Spartan Nills, an industrial dis
trict In the city of .Spartansburg, has
just been competed. An efficient sew
age system was built. Thorough rec
Ords OF all case were kept. That COM
munity. consisting of 2,OU persons, was
regarded as n Of the worst pellagra
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
still were present this year, no
n living within the severed district
contracted the disease In the last II
months, with a single exception
The only new victim was a woman
on the extreme edge of the community.
Just across the street from a house
with surface drainage In which a
chronic pellagra sufferer lived. From
the worst type of pellagra focus the
district has been changed to a commu-
nifty in which the disease no longer
spreads.
The reduction in the number of
cases of the disease in Spartan Mills
has impressed the owners of another
large mill in the county, who have
begun az active fight on the epidemic
in their community by installing IN eff
ficient disposal system.
The commission has not discovered
the cause of pellagra, but asserts that
until scientific research reveals what
produces the disease, which caused
more deaths in South Carolina in the
first half of 1915 than any other NAL
ady. the most advisable course to take
is to " towns where 1t prevails.
and thus save the health and lives of
many persons who otherwise might
contract it.
Maize Not Responsible.
Early In its investigation the commits
sion decided that the use Of maize as
a food. could not be regarded as the
essential cause Of pellagra, nor could
any particular element Of the diet be
designated logically as the cause.
This conclunion upset the belief that
persons subsisting chiefly on maize
contracted the disease as a result of
the preponderance Of that food In their
diet, a theory which has been popular
in Italy. and to which the American
public has chung tenaciously.
1t inaugurated a hygienic-dietetic
treatment of many patients. The suf-
ferers were brought to the Post Gradu-
ate hospital, where they were treated
by rest, careful nursing and a proper
diet The results OF this regime proved
excellent. The patients simply got
well. There was no medication. The
treatment was similar to that given
to ~tuberculous patients.
To its VI satisfaction, at least, the
commission disproved early the theory
that the disease Is due to the bite of
the buffalo gnat, more commonly
known as the black iy. and the by
pothesis that 1t is caused by the pres
ence Of certain minerals in drinking
water.
"Our studies" one Of the invesuga-
tors said, "have proved pellagra is In
fecd0us. Most Of the new cases
observed arose in the immediate W.
cinity Of q pre-existing pellagra suf-
ferer. For the first time the signid-
canoe of these hcts In respect to the
way in which pellagra spreads has
been pointed out"
The commission, which began its
work In 1912, interested several
branches Of the federal government in
the investigation Of this disease, and
was instrumental in obtaining con.
g~ressionai action to support the quite
separate and Independent special work
OF the public health service ON this
problem.
Anelents Labeled Food Products.
Labels were found among specimens
OF ancient Hebrew. writing 10 the city
OF Samaria. They were employed as
seals on wine and oil Jars: They set