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Posted by savio   August 29, 2013   2800 views
In the early 1900s, the disease pellagra was widespread in the United States, especially in southern states. Individuals with pellagra were weak, and they developed diarrhea, a skin rash, and mental confusion. Each year, thousands of Americans died from this dreaded illness. In 1914 the U.S. surgeon general assigned Joseph Goldberger, a physician who worked in a federal government laboratory, to study pellagra. Most medical experts thought pellagra was an infectious disease because it often occurred where people lived in close quarters, such as prisons, orphanages, and mental health institutions. Goldberger knew from his previous research that infectious diseases usually spread through a population by close physical contact. While investigating factors associated with pellagra, Goldberger observed that not everyone who was exposed to people suffering from pellagra developed the condition. For example, many prisoners had pellagra, but none of their guards or prison administrators suffered from the disease, even though they associated closely with the affected inmates. Based on his observations, Goldberger rejected the medical establishment's notion that pellagra was an infectious disease.

medical illness
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