The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-20
Diet In Pellagard
Ry B. AnpINoroN rNrcE

Of special interest to dwellers in sections where the disease of pellagra still has q foot hold, is a report recently issued by the United States public health service It con firms the dominant part played by dietary de fcieney. in causing pellagra, and more par ticularly confirms the importance of milk and fresh meat as preventives and cures of pelagra.
 Written by two physicians of the health service, Drs. Goldberger and Tanner, the re port details the results of various methods of treatment applied to pellagra patients in the Georgia state sanitarium. In eight we'll marked cases, fresh beef was utilized as "the only known therapeutic element in the diet. " Four of these patients had previously been treated with gelatin, but to no purpose. When fresh beef was included in their daily food, they soon began to improve. In all of the eight cases curative effects were obtained.
 Typical is the case of one woman, aged forty, who developed a recurrent attack of pellagra in March, 1922. Stomatitis, inter tinal trouble and skin disorders made their appearance. On April she was put on a gelatin treatment, but without any benefit whatever. A week later fresh beef was sub stituted, with this result
 By about the middle of May all evidence of the dermatitis (skin trouble) and gastro- intestinal disturbances had cleared up. Her general appearance had very definitely im- proved. Her weight, which had been tending d0WnWar0, began 10 go up after the peel treatment was instituted"
 The preventive value of milk was tested by supplementing with forty ounces of butter milk daily the diet of a group of twenty.nine inmates of the sanitarium. About two-thirds of these were persons who had had attacks of pellagra. Not one of the group developed any sign of the disease during the year the milk test was continued. Drs. GOldberger and Tanner comment:
 Since our rather extensive experience with this class of patients has convinced us that without the buttermilk, upward of 40 or 50 per cent of the group would with certainty have developed pellagra within from three to seven months, the complete absence of any indication of the disease in any of this group is, in our judgment, conclusive evidence of the preventive action of the buttermilk.
 "We have here, then, and for the first time direct demonstration of what heretofore has been an inference from indirect evidence namely, that milk contains the essential pei lagra preventive factor or factors
 Buttermilk. it may be added, was used in these experiments simply because it is the form in which milk is most commonly con- sumed Tn the section whence the patients came: Quite clearly, daily use of milk in some form or of fresh meat tor both milk and meat) is to be recommended in all pellagra sections as not merely desirable but a most necessary health-conserving measure. Which does not mean, Drs. Goldberger and Tanner hasten to point out, that milk and meat are the only pellagra preventive foods There may be others, and it would seem likely that there ,are others. Future research alone can deterfhine this, and meantime it is good to know that past research has made avail able at least two potent aids in combating pellagra.