Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-08-15
Mast ELTONS TALKS
CONDUCTED BY
Mas WIZ. FELTON,
WHAT ABOUT FELLAGNAq

Like the great majority of south
eTn people. 1 have been eating corn
bread ever since L can remember. 1
bread, mush, corn battercakes, grits
and such like all my life. | have
never believed corn bread could be
unhealthy. | have eaten lash cakc'
in my black mammy'S cabin along
with pork gravy in my baby days
The remembrance of it is q refresh
ing recollection.
1 also think more sanely about
"hookWorms." / used to see I'M
healthy looking white children and
colored ones. and was told they were
"dirt-eaters." After l was grown and
married we We're called on to doctor
little negroes, who were found pick
ing clay from old chimneys. In the
and high We had many ."stick and
dirt chimneys" built to log cabins.
These pickaninnies had morbid ap-
petite and loved to cat the dirt that
had been used in building these rude
chimneyS.
1t was common thing to doctor
all children that were pale and
anemic for worms" When the ply
stefan was called to see such ailing
young ones it was usual to hear him
say ne needs worm medicine" anc
there was as much worm physlc sold
as calome1 and jalap and calomel was
q universal remedy for general all
ments in the early time. And the
patient was not allowed to drink
cold water. Even in the burning days
of July and August the sick ones
who had taken calome1 and Jalap
were obliged to put up. with NOT
teas, because it wouldn't do to drink
cold water. But worm medicine was
kept in the rude homes along with
turnentine and mo. g." a fiery hot
mixture that was largely composed
Of red pepper. 1 remember case
Of typhoid fever where the poor
sick man was deprived of cool water
end dnsed with mo. e. until he died,
a victim to the prevailing quackery
But we were all unacquairted with
what is now called pellagra, as We
were unenlightened on the suo1ect on
anrendicitis We had blood-letting
galore. Some doctors used nothing
but the lancet and plenty OF calomei
for all ailments except toothache ana
bunions on the feet. 49,.
But L must get back TO my 1gXt ne
that it has teen mistaken for eczema
-"0err1etites malaria - whatever
that may be, rookworm diseas" and
tuberculosis, etc. With so many
thir gs to be considered on the line
of mistakes and strange results, the
WCuu6I y
had some symptom that might Indi-
cate pellagra. The wise doctors tel
US that pellagra is largely confined
in the southern states to negroes
and poorly noUrished whites in un-
hygienic surroundings. and the great
majority a-e females"
Other doctors tell us "the intes
tines become affected, the vitality IS
lowered, there results inertia, both
mental and physical and laziness
generally is prominent" Otherwise
men say insanity is common, because
there is emaciation and the brain
gives way. Then the insane asy-
lum" DR.. T. H. Powell, perhaps the
nest distinguished Georgian who
ever wrote about the insane asylum,
told me, in a friendly conversation,
that rs per cent of he women who
were sent to the Georgia insane a5y-
lunl. went from poor rural homes,
where there was never-ceasing
round of dull. hard work and con-
stant Child bearing. These poor Great
ures had no recreation. no incentives
to education. and were like dumb
driven CATTLE" etc.
There is Il popular belief n Italy,
where pellagra has been common.
that it results from eat ing moldy
corn or alcoholic drinks made from
moldy corn.
Moldy corn will kill tough