Evening star., 1925-03-30
DISCOVERY OF PELLAGRA CURE
FASCINATING SCIENCE ROMANCE
Public Health Men Sue.
ceeded after Long
Search.
Blind Trails FOllO,U-
ed Before Eventual
IicfOry.

"'he fascination of scientific re-
search. with discovery ever lurking
around the corner. surpasses in in
terest for the initiated the lure of
the crossword puzzle for the average
mortal. An Illustration of its re-
wards may be found in the recent
discovery by DR.. Joseph Goldberger
and DIR. W. F. Tanner, both of the
United States Public Health Service,
of cure for pellagra in homely
brewers yeast.
Pellagra is disease Indigenous
only to rural communities. displaying
the symptoms OF emaciation, lassi-
tude. eruption OF the skin on certain
portions of the body and, in severe
cases, resulting in insanity and
death. It is found mainly in Italy,
Spain. Hungary, the Balkans, Egypt
and America. During the war 1t
made it's appearance in the Turkish
army and In Armenian refugees. 1t
was first observed by Spanish physi-
clan in Spain in 1875. and from that
date to the present It has been one
Of the interesting mysteries of the
medical world. DR.. Goldberger, as
sisted by Dr. Tanner. has been study
ing the problems of the, disease for
about IL wears az the hYgienic labor
atory in Washington and in rural COM
munities In the South.
Origin of Disease.
There have been many curious mis-
conceptions of the origin of pellagra.
Some students of the disease have ad-
vanced the theory that it was caused
by the bite of an insect, such as the
Buffalo fly. One Italian held that it
came from a worm found in water
In the main. the Italians have been
persistent in their contention that IL
was caused by eating spoiled corn
The theory, held for many years, that
it was caused by an error IN dlel Is
the one which has been followed out
by DR.. Goldberger and his associates.
report of an Englishman named
Townsend in 1887 on cases of pei
laera observed in Spain is interesting
in the light of the recent discoveries:
THE people among whom II orlSl-
mates eat little fish in their food; they
drink little wine. Their usual dlet Is
Indian corn, with beans, peas, chest
nuts, apples, pears. melons, cucuin
bers: and even their bread, MADE OF
Indian corn, has neither BARN nor
Ieayen, but it is unfermented and In
a state OF dough. Their drink is
water" Townsend, as well as many
others, made significant observations
but it was left for the American
scientists to trace the right clue.
Was Scientific Detective.
DR.. Goldberger's studies have been
carried on in the southeastern part
of the United States in insane asy-
Inns and other institutions, Hls
methods were those of scientlnc oe-
tectfye He studied the diet and habits
Of these people, the symptoms OF the
disease. and the general treatments
which had been blindly applied win
VARYING success throughout the
course of wears In 1915 he proved
that the disease was caused by aie-
tary deficiency. Tie next problem
was to isolate the specific factor. rms
has not vet been found. but cure mas
been discovered in brewers yeast
which must therefore contain the I'M
portant factor.
DR.. Goldberger says of his studles'
The research was done by process
of elimination. Elements or factors OF
diet were excluded from possibility
because they were included in large
measure in the diets of those VINO
were suffering from the disease
Factors of Diet.
Then the possibilities were mar.
rowed down to the compohehts ot
certain factors of diet. The necessary
rompouent is the unknown for which
we are still searching. 1t may be some
unknown component such as a vita
min. or it may be perfectly wen
known chemical-let us call u ~ hof'
because there is no such chemlcai as
c.. HO4-which is known to chemists
and is used, for instance, in the man
facture OF shoe polish. Nevertheless,
sjnce We have not identified it in this
connection. it is still an unknown.
DR.. Goldberger says further: me
results Of the general study or the
prevention of pellagra. begun IN the
early fall of 1914, though clearly dein-
onstratinG the preventablilty OF the
disease by means of appropriate dlet'
did not show what foods or 1oou lac-
tors were the essential ones. Inc
modified diet employed in that STUDY
while satisfactorily serving its par
ticular purpose. was relatively ex-
uensiye and, it was suspected, in eX-
cess of the minimal requirements
For these reasons ii was improbable
that the prescribed diet would be
adopted by households and lnstltu-
tions of restricted incomes. 1T was
extremely desira BILE, therefore, TO at
tempt to devise a diet that was ade-
ouate to prevent pellagTa and at the
same time inexpensive. For this, fur-
ther investigation was, of course,
necessary.
Value of Vegetables.
Previous study of pellagra had
given evidence that vegetables or the
bean family-iegumes- be val
uahle in the treatment of the disease.
Accordingly a fixed amount of soy
beans was added to the diet of in
mates of the section for colored
women of the Georgia State SAM
hno
produce the desired results seemed to
indicate that this legume lacked, or,
in the quantities and form in which 1t
was used supplied too little of the
essential preventive factor or factors
to serve as an adequate pellagra-
preventive supplement to diet. A
similar failure was noted with the
California pea.
The disappointing indications af-
forded by the study of the soy bean
and the COW pea" DR.. Goldberger ex-
plains, led US to turn to a study of
milk, another of the foods that had
been included in the diet used in the
successful test of pellagra prevention.
The results showed that while milk
Gin the form of buttermilk) was
capable of preventing pellag gra. GER
tain of the component parts of milk,
namely, fresh butter and the inor-
ganic minerals, appeared to be de-
void of this action. Since certain
other evidence, incidentally brought
out, appeared to indicate that none of
the known vitamns were essential
factors in the prevention of the dis
ease, there remained for considera
ton in attempting to explain the
pella agra-preventive action of milk
only the quality of its protein, some
as yet unrecognized or unappreciated
dietary factor, or combination of
these"
1t seemed to the experime enters
that there was more proba bility of