Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-17
PELLAGRA C0NQUER0R,
DR.. GOLDBERGER, is
CALLED BY DEATH
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CALLEU 81 YEA ! n
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late today. and the ashes thrown to the
winds over the Potomac.
For two months DR.. Goldberger has
been at the Naval Hospital suffering
from a disease which attending physi-
cans have been unable to diagnose. 1t
was believed to be an anemia somewhat
similar to pellagra but 1t did not re-
Spond to the same treatment.
An autopsy was performed this morn
ing, the results of which were not
announced 1t was believed that his
condition was due to some undeter-
mined infection.
The funeral will be strictly private
There will be a brief service by Rabbi
Abram Simon before the ashes are given
to the winds.
"The value of DR.. Goldberger's work
Ia inestimable." said DR.. G. w. Mccoy,
director of the hygienic laboratory OF
the Public Health Service and close
friend of the dead man. I'VE believe
that 1t constitutes one OF the most I'M
portant contributions since the discovery
of the cause of yellow fever"
DIR. Goldberger, DR.. Mccoy said pos
sessed not only a keen scientific mind
hit devotion and determination rare
even among men engaged IN medlcaI
research-a fact which was demon
strated by his falling three times a
Victim To diseases which he was studying
before finally succumbing.
He survived yellow fever, typhus IeVer
and the bone breaking dengue fever
before he started on his pellagra
When he was assigned to study
nellagra which was ravaging large Sec
lions of the South, he soon found that
II would be necessary to secure human
subjects for his experiments. Dr.
Coldbercer's determination finally en-
abled him to secure permission to place
convicts In Mississippi on diet wnlcn
he believed would produce peliagra. AS
a return for this service ne cnecKeu
the disease In the large orphanages OF
the State.
The work on pellagra, DR.. Mccoy
noints out, was valuable not only 10!
its discovery of the cause and cure. nu'
for the new light shed on the whole
subject Of human diet.
His work with yellow fever, typnoio
fever and dengue fever was declared
valuable, but highly technical.
Next to the conquest OF pellagra. DIT
Ooldberger conducted important expert
ments with measles, which led to the
discovery that this disease Is contagious
only in its early stages. This enabled
gu rantines to be lifted In two or three
da-s. whereas formerly whole families
had been uuarantined for weeks because
of illness among the children,
Came to u. S. When 7.
DR.. Goldberger was born In Aus
tria. Hungary July 16, 1874. He came to
the United States with his parents
when z years old, and received his
medical education at the College OF
the City of New York and Bellevue
Hospital Medical College.
He was resident physician at Bellevue
from 1895 to 1897, and was In private
| practice In Wilkes Barre, Pa. from
i897 to 1899. In 1899 he was appointed
assistant surgeon in the Public Health
Service, and was promoted to surgeon
| in 1912.
He was a fellow of the American
Medical Association and member OF
the American Public Health Associa-
ton. the Association of American
Pathologists and Psychologists, the
American Association for the Advance
ment of Science and the Masonic order.
His home was at 3735 Kanawha street.
Before the fatal attack he had SUI
fered three other severe illnesses, all
contracted In the course OF his expert
mental work with them. He fell SICK OF
typhus fever Is years ago, while ex-
nerimenting with the organism re-
sponsible for 1t in Mexico City. He
had hardly recovered when he was as
signed to a study of yellow fever In
New Orleans. He contracted the dis
ease. Later he became a victim OF
| dengue fever, or bone-breaking fever,
while conducting experiments with 1t
| in Brownsville, Tex.
Following these experiences he was
assigned to take charge of the Public
Health Service Investigations OF pei
! legra, a disease which afflicted large
sections of the South, which usually
ended fatally and which brought not
| only death but insanity. He worked on
this problem for nearly IA years. When
he started work the cause of pellegra
was a mystery. He determined that 1t
was due to a dietary deficiency.
Turning to the problem OF cure, he
| discovered the vitamine PIP" or pei
lagra preventative, and showed that it
is contained In dried yeast. This In an
inexpensive, concentrated safeguard
against the malady Due to DR.. Gold.
berger's discoveries pellagra practically
has been erased from the list OF dread
diseases.
During the height Of the Mississippi
flood two years ago a widespread cpl
demic was threatened. 1t was prevent
ed by the distribution Of several car
loads Of yeast cakes through the danger
zone.
DR.. Goldberger continued to expert
ment with pellagra representative foods,
using himself as the subject Of his ex-
periments. Last November he fell Ill
of q malady somewhat akin to pellegra,
but which did not respond to the same
treatment Apparently it was one of
the pernicious anemias. It was puzzle
to his fellow scientists.
When the seriousness of his condi-
ton became known, 20 of his colleagues
volunteered for blood TRANSMISSION opera
lions. After six of these had failed to
show good results the practice was given
! up. The malady which was taking his
life was unknown to medical science.
DR.. Goldberger has been a resident
of Washington much of the time dur
ing the past ID years when he has been
studying pellagra, but has made fire.
quent field trips into the affected ter
ritory He is survived by his widow,
three sons and daughter.
Sur. Gen. Cumming of the Public
Health Service this morning declared
that DR.. Goldberger's work was one OF
the outstanding contributions to the
science Of medicine.
Not only was it of specific value in
the conquest Of pellagra, but 1t added
greatly to the general knowledge OF