The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-08-07
Pellagra the Puzzler;
Opinions in Conflict
AS to Disease Causes
Pg VAN BUREN THORNE, NJ. /

r. VAN BUREN THORNE NJ -.
In tho New York Times.
The unusual prevalence of polla-
rtam this summer In the states com
r.lug the southern cotton belt,
N..,h has been brought to public
attention by official reports made
tp surgeon General Hugh = Cum
ming Of the public health service
Ns experts OF his department. cree
ATS renewed interest in disease
the origin OF which has been the
subject Of controversy for at least
2.l years.
There is a wide divergence Of opiu-
l,u concerning the iuruads which
'se disease has made. or is likely
g. make, this year. between resi-.
dents Of the cotton belt and the
federal health authorities.
Since its appearance in this coun-
n, about l. years ago IL has affor1-
ed n fascinating study 10 both lab-
orltory workers and clinicians, who
,hiVc parsUcd their researches In ccu-
tors where large percentage Of the
population wcrc afflicted with It.
IN, probable number OF cases this
,rlsUu is put in the ncighborhood
gf 100000. but IL must be rcmCm-
l.ryd that these figures are OBJ
tarp1 by estimate only, for In mu. h
~ tine invaded territory the regis
ta'i1n OF pcllagra patients IL not
demanded by the health authUri-
u,,
Just a decade ago 100. 900 cases
v,.o actually registered in Italy.
vi'h i's population OF 100000.
Il'N. indeed, may very properly be
calcd the cradle OF pellagra, since
II has been recognized there for cen
tgrU>. although II has prevailed 70
limited eNtcnt in other sections Of
Europe, Including the British Isles.
Mortality Rate 10 Per Cent.
u has been found In "a states
I'm the Union, and Just ! 0 years ago
Can't Joseph l.. Sller (not Colonel
SI.u Of the United states army ono
uf tio foremost investigators % the
disease. tod the present writer that
In his opinion thorc were at least
10000 cases in the south. \ year
f4',r public health service officials
nut the number Of victims in the
south a. 10000, and Captain Ilrr
informed me that he Coucurroi I'm
that uriniou In 1915 the estimate
was r. 600 and in 1916 it had risen
90 100000. The mortality, according
o. federal experts, is about 10 per
cent OF those who arc afflicted.
one strange feature OF the rccru-
dae,,vyc Of the disease, and one
which tends to confirm the opinion
now generally held hy public health
service physicians as to its origin,
H. the fact that there "a very
rlrHed increase both I'm the area
affected and the total OF pcllagra
victims during those years I'm which
croromic conditions are notably bad
IN the cotton belt, as they are gen
orally known to be this year.
L cannot be denied that in spite
q the lucid explanation Of the pub
l!c health service concerning the
cause of pcllagra, an explanation
which at present has the active sup
port OF perhaps a majority OF med
ical men in this country. there ts
stl much that is pu22lins and mys-
tori0us about II. This will he the
more readily understood when Il is
explained that there are four sepa-
rat" causes given for II by four dis
tlnct groups of earnest endeavor in
tho attempt TO solve the mystery.
- u group reached definite conclu-
gi0us. only two OF which are In
way related to each other, and each
Is prepared TO prove by fact and
deduction that its conclusions offer