The Health bulletin [serial] - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

September, 1927 The Health Bulletin 31
the use of chemical-raising agents.
is important to note that in other sections
this practice has not become universal,
and any one interested might
do well to study the vital statistics
having this point in mind. The unpopularity
of yeast as a raising agent
is deplorable. The departure from
the primitive cooking of colonial days
when raising agents were unknown
has been a real misfortune.
Treatment of Pellagra
The best treatment of pellagra is
its prevention. Certainly when one
member of a family with pellagra
calls on the physician, he is untrue to
his high calling if he does not point
out the defect, not only in the diet of
the patient, but of the whole family.
Unless tbe patient is one of that unfortunate
class best known as "food
cranks," the whole family is exposed
to the same danger, and the analysis
of the diet must be for all who eat the
food under suspicion so the remedy
may be generally applied. Every detail
of every meal must be investigated
and exact replies demanded. As
before stated, patients will practice
more deception about tbis one thing
than anything else, though to do so
militates against their best interest,
and at beart they are not deceitful.
Dr. Goldberger has stressed the importance
of tbe proteid side of the
diet. If milk and eggs are consumed
abundantly flesh food is not important,
though young growing people, especially
the children from three to ten
years, are helped amazingly by underdone
beef, preferably in tbe form of
scraped beef. There is too much indiscriminate
cutting out of meat food
at this time. Doubtless in tlie past
too much meat was eaten, but the fact
remains that people who are not vigorous
and who are also underweight, are
helped by flesh. Meat may be greatly
damaged in cooking. In the rural districts
beef is usually greatly over
cooked. Pork can hardly be overcooked,
and tbe same rule applies to
other meats. In isolated sections I
have learned not to rely on any form
of meat, but to insist on milk and eggs
as well as butter and cream when possible.
It is generally advised that a
It
"low flour" be insisted on and, if possible
whole wbeat flour be used exclusively.
A low flour is a cheaper
flour of a slightly yellow tinge, which
is infinitely better food. If the public
demands whole wheat flour and low
flour, the merchants will gladly meet
it, but it must not be expected that
these things will be carried in stock
until the demand justifies it. All patients,
whether sufferers or not are
advised against self-raising flour as
well as against pure white flours.
Raising is to be accomplished with
yeast or by kneading and beating.
Vegetables are vitally important, and
the leaf kind are much to be preferred.
Again it must be repeated that soda
or other chemical must never be added
to the cooking vegetables. Fruits, especially
the citrus kind, is a great addition,
supplying another vitamine
which is as important in its place as
any other. No patient is so poorly
situated that a sufficient amount of
some sort of useful fruit cannot be
had.
Drugs in pellagra do so little good
that it is questionable whether or not
it is ever wise to prescrilie tbem. The
patient is only too willing to take the
medicine and finds in so doing a sense
of false security resulting in carelessness
about the diet which is the vital
part. Recently on the suggestion of Dr.
Goldberger I have advised the use of a
yeast vitamine tai)let,* two of which
are given before each meal for a while
and then for economy's sake reduced
to one. For years I have used corn
chops, t which is the germ of corn, as
the source of vitamine. Tins is given
in the form of gruel or as mush or may
be made into corn pone or boe cake.
Owing to its high percentage of fat,
it does not keep well, and should be
bought in small amounts freshly milled.
The gravely ill patient with pellagra
frequently calls for help when the
mouth is so sore that swallowing is
well nigh impossible. Added to the
This preparation is known as Tablets
Teast-V^itamine (Harris), and can be had
from the Harris Laboratories, Tuckahoe,
N. Y.
t Tlie Boney & Harper Milling Co., In
Wilmington makes a nice preparation of
corn chops for human consumption under
the trade name Corn Hearts. It is hoped
that other milling concerns will soon be
justified in doing likewise.