Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-25
YEAST CURE FOR PELLACRA
is TRIED OUT In SOUT-'
Public Health Service Reported to Ha"
Found Certain Remedy to Prevent
Disease Prevalent i'm Dixie.

wiped out in this country, the Pr
Health Service declares. Many of
people in the pellagra area live
foods such as fat meats. mainly >
pork, corn bread and white br,
and dishes made from corn meal .;
white -four and molasses. This q
frequently constitutes the chief c--
mentS in their daily rations. TT
may not apply to every section in
Southern States. but inquiry L. =
shown that it does apply to many 5,
lions. Such diet. it has been show
is entirely inadequate, not only I, So
the prevention OF pellagra, but f,r
preventing many other human ills.
DIR. Goldberger has shown that a
pure culture Of yeast serves as ~
excellent preventive and cure I =
pellagra. The vitamin found in IT,
foods mentioned also is apparent
found in pure yeast. This pure yea@s
Is in much more concentrated form
than the yeast cakes usually die
tributed for commercial and house.
hold purposes.
about one ounce of this pure
yeast a day, taken for a period 81
from one and a half to two and q
half months. will cure by far the M
jority of patients with pellagra, pro-
vided the disease has not advanced To
a stage where it is beyond hope OF
cure" DIR. De kleine asserts. ut
must be understood, however, thar
yeast is only a palliative measure for
immediate treatment. The prevention
and control OF the disease must even
tually be effected through an adequate
Diet
Education Is Needed"
The control of pellagra, it is pointed
out. resolves itself into a question OF
economics and education.
If the people commonly subject to
pellagra can be educated as to the
true nature of the disease and its pre-
vention, and If economic conditions
can be so improved that 1t is possible
for every one to obtain an adequate
diet. then pellagra will disappear.
II do not mean to imply" DR.. De
Kleine states. that economic condi-
lions in the South are extremely back
ward, but rather that many people in
this section have drifted into certain
economic ways Of living that have
brought on this condition. Many
years of custom and tradition in the
cotton belt have caused thousands OF
persons to fall into certain habits Of
living which are very difficult 10
change, and which have resulted in
pellagra and other conditions Of un-
REIMBURSEMENT. Proper educational
methods and improvement in economic
conditions will do much TO remedy
this situation"
Pellagra during the past two dec
AIDES seems to have appeared in waves,
increasing and decreasing from year
to year in conformity to the trend OF
economic conditions. If crops are good
q nd %
pellagra apparently wanes. If the OPP
posite is true. the disease increases.
indicating that an abundance of food
readily available for every one is nee
essary for the prevention Of the dis
ease.
Pellagra has been decidedly on the
increase in the Southern States dur
ing the present year. This does not
apply only to the flood area, but also
to other States in the South. II il
perhaps more generally prevalent in
the Mississippi Delta at the present
time, but that has been the case for
several years past. Economic condi-
tons there are such that the disease
usually makes rapid inroads. Health
authorities say ii is possible the flood
had some influence in increasing the
| disease by robbing many persons of
cows, chickens and vegetable gardens.
| but they consider it more than likely
! that there would have been a heavy
increase If the flood had not occurred.
Red Cross Helps Sufferers.
The Red Cross has supplied pellagra
patients with special diet, and many
Of the victims have shown improve
ment. The Red Cross has therefore
done much to offset the serious eff
fects of an inadequate diet. No one
knows what conditions might have
been but for this assistance.
Now that the yeast cure has been
put forward by the Public Health
Service. the Red Cross is distributing
a pure form of powdered yeast to all
pellagra patients in the flood area.
This is being done through State and
local health agencies and physicians,
and it is expected in this way to con-
troll the menacing disease just as it
threatened to become, of grave proper
tons.