62 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 5 



solution of this problem has at various times been proclaimed, but 

 subsequent investigations have failed to furnish corroborative 

 material. 



Three theories have been advanced as to the cause of this disease: — • 

 the Zei-toxic theory based upon the work of Ballardini in 1845 giving 

 corn poison due to the excessive use of corn products as the cause, 

 supplanting the old theory of faulty metabolism; the cotton seed 

 products poison theory of Mizell in 1911; and the sand-fly theory of 

 Sambon, 1910. The first two rest on malnutrition, the last on the 

 action of a parasite. 



Our investigations began with the diagnosis of the first authentic 

 case in Kansas and have had the co-operation of the attending physi- 

 cian, Dr. E. E. Liggett and Dean Crumbine of the School of Medicine 

 and Secretary of the State Board of Health. 



Eight cases have been found and in the vicinity of each, save one, 

 the sand-fly was found to exist. The locality of the exception has not 

 been surveyed. This patient, however, spent year before last in the 

 south where sand-flies are abundant. 



The hnes of investigation which the writer determined to follow were 

 transfusions on guinea-pigs and monkeys and transference of flies, 

 exposed to Pellagrins, to monkeys and guinea-pigs. In the experi- 

 ments with each exposed animal there was a check or an unexposed 

 animal. The transfusions and inoculations gave no positive results. 

 Temperatures of the guinea-pigs and monkeys were taken twice a day 

 without showing any appreciable change. 



The Sambon Theory is protozoal and from analogy with the etiology 

 of malaria, the parasite of Pellagra in all probability would have to 

 pass one stage in the body of its intermediate sand-fly host before it 

 could resume its life in the human body. This hypothesis being true^ 

 transfusions obviously would be without results. 



The only species found is Simiilium vittatum. The patient used in 

 the experimental work was a mother, thirty-five years of age, in the 

 second season of the-disease. 



In all 1282 live sand-flies were used and this phase of the work ex- 

 tended from the 21st of August to the 4th of November. The plan 

 was to divide the number of flies intended for each experiment into two 

 lots, the one lot to be exposed to the Pellagrin and then to the subject 

 of experimentation and the other exposed to the check. 



Ten guinea-pigs and two monkeys were used and the temperatures 

 of all were taken morning and evening daily. The number of live 

 flies exposed to the Pellagrin and then to the monkeys was 197. A 

 part of those exposed to the Pellagrin were reserved for fixation and 

 sectional microscopic examination in the laboratory now during the 



