The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-08-07
|LLAGRA SCARE
 AS SENT OUT ID |ESERvE FAT JOBS
Meeting of Health 0ffi- aIs With Surgeon General he Above Charges Were
 Tinted at Strongly
By HUGH w. ROBERTS

II 1y w. S
 darlington Bureau The Age-HeraId 300 Davidson Building Flashing August 6.-(Special)
 idea obtains in certain very inn
 ant circles that the public health * lice, in declaring starvation
 Ipant in the south, attended by a
 rge of pellagra, was moved in
 5 of proving the necessity of
 ntaining the present personnel of
 service.
 ate health officials who conferred
 h Surgeon General Hugh Cum
 gs Thursday, in private converse \ hinted at that idea. It is freely
 kussed in Congress, and Represen- I've James E. Byrpes of South {Iolina has addressed a letter to the &sident in which he urges proper |Gshment of officials who, he con [hs, have deceived him
 | cannot be sustained, of course, the health service proceeded |linst the entire south as a coun- prey to pellagra and starvation
 selfish reasons. It is positively blished however, that there is no |6vation in. the south, and that the Illrge of pellagra Is vastly exag- eted.
 |lhe state health officers, inter- lived by this correspondent. deeply Pressed by their seriousness and |1esty. They did not pretend to |;y that pellagra exists in the yth. On the contrary, they ad- |lted that there was normal in- |slse. They denied simply that there |l startling or even a surprising Tease.
 |t Alabama Not So Bad he public health service contends |E Alabama shows an increase of |sagra 600 per cent over that of |E year. Dr. s. W. Welch, Alabama Filth officer, declares that doctors lie no report of pellagra in Ala Ina last year, and consequently Ire was none of official record. Is year 909 doctors have watched Iagra carefully, and made report bases and deaths. This was an ap- fently simple explanation which, if 4 public health service had grasped, fLAo IiOt tldN o iCouAbCu III LilS StIlSd- hal Starvation" communications President Harding.
 The Alabama situation is dupli- led by Georgia, Mississippi and tth Carolina. Each state has some Planation which apparently cannot refuted.
 The state health officers declared existence of pellagra, admitted 1t there are more cases this year n last year; that while the situa- In is not serious, it deserves atten- h.
 Not Greatest Menace It Is their point, however, that lagra Is not the greatest menace the south. The honor of being E greatest Is still shared by ma la and hookworm. The state alth officers do not want to
 forced to abandon the process eradicating these diseases because Ia comparatively minor matter. The ltes have little money with which match federal appropriations. They ,ud expend that money in the sest manner possible, according to } state doctors.
 In connection with the situation,
 is with unanimity that members
 Congress and state health officials Id that the President, in declaring } prevalence of starvation and dis SC in the south, was imposed upon. While everywhere it is stated that
 made grewsome blunder, it is where contended that he was inated by any sinister reason. vertheless. there are others in ngress in addition to Mir. Byrnes, 10 think that when it is demon -ated that the south is mot starv- 2, the President should proceed ainst the experts who led him into , error.
 USSYFOoTTNG. MAKES