Politics and Pellagra: The Pellagra Epidemic in the U.S. (Early 20th Century)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, people, and concepts related to the pellagra epidemic and its historical study.

Pellagra

Nutritional deficiency disease caused by insufficient intake of niacin (vitamin B3) and related B vitamins, characterized by dermatitis, diarrhea, and dementia; historically linked to corn-based diets.

Niacin (nicotinic acid)

Vitamin B3; deficiency of this nutrient causes pellagra; later identified as the Pellagra Preventive Factor (PPF).

PPF (Pellagra Preventive Factor)

The dietary factor proposed to prevent pellagra; later identified as nicotinic acid (niacin).

Zeism

Theories attributing pellagra to maize (Zea mays) origin and its role in disease causation.

Three M's

Meat, Meal, and Molasses—the monotonous southern diet rich in cornmeal linked to pellagra.

Degermination

Milling process that removes the corn germ; reduces nutritional value and niacin content, implicated in pellagra’s emergence after 1900.

Beall degerminator

Device patented in 1900–1901 enabling corn degermination; associated with reduced nutrient availability in cornmeal.

Springtime disease

Seasonal form of pellagra occurring when new crops are not yet available; linked to springtime diet patterns.

Casal's necklace

Rash around the neck described by Casal, a characteristic feature of pellagra.

mal de la rosa

Early Spanish term for pellagra reflecting its red rash; linked to poverty and diet.

Streptobacillus pellagrae

Hypothetical infectious organism once sought as the cause of pellagra; attempts to transmit it were unsuccessful.

Pellagra epidemic in the United States

Major outbreak of pellagra from roughly 1906 to 1940, with hundreds of thousands of cases and tens of thousands of deaths, concentrated in the South.

George H. Searcy

Physician who documented pellagra cases in Alabama (1907) and helped bring attention to the epidemic.

James Babcock

Superintendent who identified pellagra in South Carolina; credited as a founder of organized pellagra study and control.

Joseph Goldberger

Public Health Service physician who demonstrated dietary deficiency as the cause of pellagra, conducted diet experiments, and named the Pellagra Preventive Factor (PPF).

Claude Lavinder

Epidemiologist who studied pellagra’s distribution and attempted to identify etiologic factors; involved in early investigations and laboratory work.

Rankin Prison Farm experiment

Goldberger-led human diet experiment in which inmates on a restricted diet developed pellagra, illustrating diet as a cause; controversial and politically charged.

Filth parties

Goldberger’s self-experiments injecting himself and colleagues with pellagra-related materials to test for transmissibility; yielded no pellagra.

Thompson–McFadden Pellagra Commission

Commission funded to study pellagra; concluded no dietary link at times, which influenced debates on etiology.

Pellagra scare (pellagraphobia)

Public fear and sensational press coverage about pellagra’s spread and impact, fueling political and social responses.

Diet vs infection controversy

Debate over pellagra’s cause: infectious etiology versus nutritional deficiency; pivotal in early 20th-century public health debates.

Liver extract (Minot’s liver extract)

Liver-derived preparation used in pellagra and related conditions; linked to nutrition-based treatments and later vitamin discoveries.

Beriberi parallel

Comparison to beriberi outbreaks; changes in milling practices affecting nutrient availability; used to frame pellagra’s nutritional origin.

Casimir Funk

Scientist who studied micronutrients and discussed factors beyond the anti-neuritic component; early context for pellagra/nutrition research.

Lime-treated maize (alkali processing)

Use of lime to process maize increases niacin availability; proposed to explain differences in pellagra prevalence among populations.

Dermatitis, Diarrhea, Dementia

The three classical clinical features (the 'three D’s') of pellagra; death is considered the fourth D.