Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-20
Chance Discovery at Georgia
State Hospital Opens Way
for Possible Cure.
VITAMIN DEFICIENCY
REDUCES CONCLUSIONS
Mental Disease Returns, However,
on Reduced Scale When Dietary
Maladjustment Is Corrected.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.


Epileptic commissions may be cut APP
proXimately in half by producing in the
patients the diet-deficiency disease,
pe3lagra, which is common through the
poorer sections of the South
This result is reported by the Public
Health Service following an experiment
suggested by the chance observation of
the clinical director of Georgia State
hospital for epileptics. While pellagra
Is not put forth as cure for the wide
spread mental disease, the remarkable
effects may open a new line of research
into the fundamental causes of epileptic
seizures, according to Public Health
Service officials.
Discovery Made by Chance.
Epileptic patients at the Georgia
hospital, according to the report, were
being treated by what Is known as the
ketogenic diet, which has very high
fat content, but is deficient in the
pellagra preventive vitamin, although
the deficiency is not sufficient ordinarily
TO produce pellagra. But one woman
patient, evidently especially susceptible,
did begin to show the characteristic
symptoms of this disease. Practically
simultaneously the epileptic convulsions,
which before had been fairly regular,
stopped altogether. She had no seizure
for more than two months
Then her diet was changed so as to
cure the pellagra and the commissions
returned, but on a reduced scale. 1t
was not considered likely that the good
off ho =, ~.
ketogenic diet itself since none of the
other patients on the same diet who
did not develop pellagra showed any
marked improvement. Also the woman
herself had been on the diet for long
time before becoming III Of pellagra
and it had done little good.
Ten Women Used in Test.
Then a Public Health Service sur
geon Joined hands with the hospital di-
rector and they proceeded deliberately
70 alter the diet so that hardly any of
the pellagra- preventative vitaminS was
left and give it To patients in good
enough physical condition to withstand
the diet-dehciency disease The out
look Of epileptic patients is SO bad, the
report Of the experiment says. that the
experimenters felt justified in giving
them less serious disease which might
have good effect on the primary
malady. Besides there is a practically
certain specific for pellagra If 1t is not
allowed TO go too far-yeast. Ten white
women were taken as subjects
In every case there was practically a
so per cent drop in the commissions as
soon as signs of peilagra appeared. In
every case the commissions became as
numerous as overland in one case
much more so-as soon as the process of
pellagra was halted. Ordinarily, it is
pointed cut, the number of commissions
was kept down with various sedativeS
These sedative5 were stopped when the
signs Of pellagra appeared, so that ac-
tual contrast is probably greater than
is shown by the Public Health Service
tables.
Indications Are Obscure.
It is obviously impractical say Public
Health Service officials. to keep cpl
leptlcs continuously victims of pellagra
TO improve their condition, and the re-
mission Of commissions lasts only as long
ss the dietary disease lasts. In one
case the number of commissions in a
month almost doubled over the pre-
Vious record as soon as the patient was
given considerable amounts OF yeast to
Offset the pellagra.
The indications Of the experiment
are obscure. says the report Science
never mas Ionnc the underlying rea-
sons for the various types of epilepsy.
The eXoerimenters cannot tell whether
the good effects are due TO the absence
OF the llagra-preyentative vitamin or
whether the pellagra itself produces
some obscure effect in the body which
Is hostile TO epilepsy. It was suggested
that the physical enfeeblement brought
about by the pellagra might itself be
responsible, but the experimenters point
out that epilepsy generally leads to
physical debility in any event without
showing any amelioration.
The most acceptable idea, il is
stated, is that the pellsgra is a surface
indication Of some profound metabolic
change. similar To that which is
brought about by other treatments for
epilepsy. There is a possibility that
further studies may show how the diet
can be altered TO produce this change
without robbing it of the pellagra-
preventative vitamin
The work WIS done by Surg. G.. A.
Wheeler Of the Public Health Service
and y. p. Walker OF the Georgia State
Hospital using the pellagra producing
and preventing diets worked out at the
National Institute of Health.