Evening star., 1932-01-28
SON OF SCIENTIST
ENDS LIFE BY SHOT.
Edgar r. GoIdberger, "a, Dies
at Hospital After Being
Found in Bed.

Edgar Farrar Goldberger, 24-year old
engineer and son of the late DR.. Joseph
Goldberger, noted discoverer Of the
cause and cure Of pellagra, died today
at Emergency Hospital short time
after he was found shot through the
head at his home. $500 Broad Branch
road. A .25-caliber automatic pistol
was found in bed beside the youth.
A verdict of suicide was issued by the
coroner's Office after an investigation
by homicide squad detectives.
Goldberger, who was grandson OF
the late Edgar Farrar, prominent New
Orleans lawyer and one-time president
of the American Bar Association, was
found in bed about o'clock this morn
ing by his brother, Joseph. He had
bullet wound in the temple.
Report of Gun Not Heard.
Although his mother, Mrs. Mary Far
rar Goldberger, and two brothers,
Joseph and Benjamin, and sister
Mary, were N the house at the time,
none heard the report OF the gun.
They told police they believed the
Young engineer pulled the bed covers
over his head and then shot himself.
Goldberger was attached to the Sew
erage and Water Board of New Orleans
and had come home about three weeks
ago on a months sick leave. Members
of the family told police he was de-
spondent over the condition OF ms
health Friends of the family said he
had threatened TO kill himself because
he felt he was not getting anywhere
and was not in good health.
Attends Movie Show.
Goldberger retired about l o'clock
this morning, after going TO motion
picture show with his mother, accord
ing to the family. Early this morning
he was seen in the bath room by one OF
his brothers Leaving the bath room,
the brother said, he went back to bed,
where he was found about an hour
later by Joseph.
Mrs. Goldberger, since the death of
her husband, in 1929, has been a fire.
uuent contributor to magazines and IS
said by friends to be writing life story
of her husband She is a daughter OF
Lucy Stamps Farrar and a niece Of JET
fersOn Davis She is now living at
Biloxi. Miss home of the Confederate
President The family is one OF the
most prominent socially in the South.
After the death of her husband, Mrs.
Goldberger was granted a monthly pen
sion by Congress, to continue during
her life.
Goldberger's father was surgeon at
tached to the United States Public
Health Service when he made his i'm
portant discoveries about pellagra
dreaded skin disease prevalent in the
South Public Health Service officials
believe his research in this disease
tions to medical science" in the history
Of the service.
Experiments Are Recalled.
For Is years prior to his death, Dr.
Goldberger worked increasingly with the
disease In 1867, he took a group
of Mississippi convicts and produced
pellagra in them within five months
by feeding a special diet This was
proof of his contention that the disease
was due to diet deficiency. He then
cured the convicts, who received par
dons from the Governor of Mississippi
as rewards for their contribution to the
advancement of science.
Edgar Goldberger graduated In civil
engineering from George Washington
University in 1928 and was president
of his engineering class. Both brothers
are now attending the university, one
a medical student and the other taking
"a pre-medical course.
Shortly after graduating, Goldberger
went to New Orleans and became at
tached to the Sewerage and Water
Board. He rendered distinguished Serv-
ice in his capacity as civil engineer in
helping the chief engineer of the board
to devise a method of controlling sur
face floods in the vicinity of New
Orleans, which for years had caused
extensive property damage 1t was
principally because of overwork in this
connection that he was granted
months leave to return home TO rest,