Evening star., 1951-05-04
Records Show PeIIuqro
Disappearing From U. S.
Food Deficiency Disease Was
Major Scourge Decade Ago
By Thomos R. Henry

The once widespread food-deficiency
disease. pellagra. is rapidly disappearing
from the United States.
Only about 10 years ago the disease
was common, and two decades ago a
major scourge, especially in parts Of
the South.
This remarkable change is apparent
from reports gathered by Public Health
Service workers. From 1885 to 1899, for
example, nearly one per cent Of all ad-
missions to the Cincinnati General Hos
pital had pellagra. There were "a cases
In 1889. From 1946 to 1948 there was
only one case.
Most remarkable are reports from the
South. In Birmingham, Ala, heart of the
pellagra area where much research has
been carried on, there has not been one
case in the last 10000 hospital ad-
missions.
Couldn't Find Single Case.
Recently in Chicago group Of scien-
lists needed some pellagra cases for
study. They looked for them among the
alcoholics In Skid Row. A few years ago
at least half the buns would have been
affected in some degree. They couldn't
find single case.
A few weeks ago the Public Health
Service got telephone call from CAL
linger Hospital in Washington. At last
they had found case Of pellagra among
the admissions. For long time lecture
on the disease for the benefit of staff and
students had been scheduled. It had
been postponed over and over again be-
cause it was impossible to find case for
demonstration. A few years ago it would
have been easy to pick up few any day.
Reasons for this dramatic change are
somewhat obscure, according to Public
Health doctors. Pellagra is most GER
tainly a disease due to deficiency in the
diet of certain vitamins. There still is
some question precisely which substances
are involved. The great break came with
the discovery of vitamins, particularly
of NICOTINE acid little more than a
decade ago. All except the most ad-
vanced cases could be cleared up by
vitamin treatment The disease could be
prevented by adding vitamins to nor
mally pellagra- producing diet. Much
the same is true of all other vitamin-de-
ficiency diseases.
Vitamins of all sorts have been sold
literally by the ton during the past
decade. The fact remains that most
of the purchases have been by persons
who least needed fortification of their
diets. Certainly the buns Of Chicago's
Skid Row haven't been buying vitaminS
instead of booze and the Southern noun
taineers haven't lined up before drug
stores.
There has been a considerable free
distribution to school children and to
factory workers Several surveys made
during the 1930-1939 period showed that
the national diet was quite inadequate
for high percentage of the people. Such
diseases as beriberi, peripheral neuritis.
scurvy. rickets. secondary anemia and
certain types of goitre were by no means
uncommon.
Poor Were Major Sufferers.
BY and large the poor were the major
sufferers from nutritional diseases. Next
to them, perhaps, came the very rich,
whose expensive foods simply did not
contain the necessary substances. There
was much talk of hidden hunger" which
appeared in all classes of society.
Since then several notable changes
have taken place. The gross, overall
food consumption has increased This
increase has been noted in all classes.
Misunderstanding foods have been pop
ularized. Some Of the common foods,
such as bread, have been deliberately
fortified. Probably combination of all
these factors, Public Health Service nu-
tritionists believe. is the major cause of
the decrease in deficiency diseases.
Physicians and public health nurses
came to think of nutrition in terms of
specific vitamin deficiencies but the ma
jor problem all the time was to improve
food for the American people as a
whole-not to distribute pills. This,
however, tided over the period while
the diet was improved. 1t may have in
volved quite lot of waste but it served
the purpose.
Pellagra is on its way out. Hidden
hunger" a vague condition at the best,
no longer is diagnosed.