The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-08-24
Pellagra Due
To Soft Water
Medical Writer Says Diet Has
Nothing to Do With the
Disease

nat =DcildSId - caused. not DS
tack Of food or even by an unprop-
er1y balanced diet. but solely Y
drinking soft water from a clay
soil that it is easy to prc"ent and
simple to cure are statements made
categoricaliy By DR.. +. NJ Perlue
Of Kansas City. VINO has made eX-
tenSive studies Of the disease. DR..
Perdue's statements are contained
in the following letter to The New
York Times:
l note a number of articles in
The Times concerning pe.laGra.
These articles are in error in that
they are mislea ding as to the cause,
prevention and cure of pellaSra.
They are further in error in that
they assume to state that there is
difference OF opinion as to tn"
cause of pellas.,a and that there is
still doubt as to It's II al cause.
If there is a threatened recrudes-
.:ence of pcllagra ali this is excad :
ing1y unfair to the people Of the
south, and misleading TO the raedi-
cal profession who are called upon
20 treat these sufferers in the
South. Again. the people Of the
south who suffer from pellagra are
our fellow-citizen and are entitled
to the best and the truth about
such an anliction. Ever instinct
of humanity dictates that the truth
be told and that these sufferers be
relieved and their lives saved.
The true cause of pellagra vas
worked out IN the Institute of Hy-
gicne of the Uni .'erSity Of Rome by
Professors Alessandrini and Scala
They published the results of their
work in 1914. The writer was
their collaboration il, America. He
translated their werk and pup-
lished it with the results Of his
American collaboration in 1916.
For five years this work has teen
in the English language in the
hands Of the American profession.
This research is final. 1t is based
upon the very best scientific find
ings. There is no further need to
seek for cause and prevention of
pellagra. The treatment is sue
cess, but it does not preclude other
methods
Pellagra is an endemic and not
an epidemic disease. 1t is a
chronic acid intoMcation and not
infectious or communicable in any
sense 1t is not hereditary.
Pellagra is essentially a disease
Of a fixed agricultural population
living upon ar eroded and exhaust
ed soil of determinate geologic ori-
gin. Pellagra has definite gelo-
gical-geographical distribution/ 1t
has no relation to labor. diet. domi-
cile or sanitary environment.
Pellasra is caused by drinking
soft water coming from a clay soil.
Pellagra is prevented by drinking
hard water whose hardness i
due to the presence of the carbon
ates Of calcium ard magnesium
Fellagra is cured ty the hypo-
dermic administration of a 10 per
cent solution Of sodium citrate.
Give one cubic centimeter daily for
fifteen to thirty days. according to
the severity of the case. then on
alternate days for as long a time.
These meaGures are so simple. 50
exact. so scientific. so successful. 50
cheap. that they do not meet the
approval of the public health
service. They would not require
an appropriation Of S15o. 900 at
this time. a little newspaper
publicity would inform the people
of the endemic area. Those people
would speedily set well, and there
would be no more need of propa
Canda.
Pellagra in the United States is
prevalent in the regions Of the At
lantic coastal plain, the Piedmont
plateau. the Gulf coastal plain. the
Ashland plateau. certain inland re-
gions Of the fanI<s of the Ozark.
Boston. Oachita. Arbuckle and
Wichita Mountains. and where the
soils are derived from the shalcs
Of the Pennsylvania series. Pei
lagra is also occasionally found in
northern states covered by glacial
drift from the great Precambrian
Shield around I,udSon's Bay. Pei
lagra has the same geographical
distribution as pine timber. Prairie
countries d9 not have pellaGra. as
prairie soils are necessarily lime
soils.
Pellagra is not caused by maize
alimentation. Peilasra is not
caused or COMMUNICATED by the
Buffalo gnat or Si.;iulium fly. The
theories Of Lomoroso and of am
bon have been definitely abandoned
rs we'll rs diSproven. P"lIacra is
not on" ftac deficiency" disease
The disease which was induced by
Or. Goldberg in the convicts in Mis-
sissippi was scurvy and not pel-
laSra. The r"orle Of tho sor.ji are
not underfed have been throuc:l
the pel!aSrous districts of ,!le
south whore tho table vas filled
with tn. best three times day
j he weai:hiest and best prov:d-
cd die OF pei.2-ra. Tho people OF
tho Sol1ti, ba;a ,.Iia,-ro I,..,,,...,