MAIDI8MVS. 223 



small birds within forty-eight hours at most. An alkaloidal body 

 was obtained by Marie from the seeds of the lathyrus sativa ; how- 

 ever, this substance when administered subcutaneously to guinea- 

 pigs does not induce any of the characteristic symptoms of lathyrism. 

 Astier obtained an alcoholic extract which, after repeated injections, 

 induced in dogs complete paraplegia, from which the animal slowly 

 recovered. There are good reasons for believing that whatever 

 the poisonous substance may be, it is destroyed at a high tempera- 

 ture. The Arabs of northern Africa eat vetch prepared in two 

 ways: One preparation, known as " Kouskouson," is steamed or 

 boiled, while the other dish, known as " Galette," is cooked at a 

 higher temperature, and it is said to be a well authenticated fact that 

 injurious effects more frequently follow the use of the former than of 

 the latter. In man the first symptom of lathyrism usually mani- 

 fested is a chill, which is followed by pain in the loins and legs. A 

 girdle sensation is complained of by some, and motor lameness of 

 the lower extremities is common. The patient walks with difficulty, 

 and later finds locomotion wholly impossible. The knee reflex is 

 greatly intensified, and a paresthesia with formication may be marked. 

 It is claimed by some that gangrene of the feet and legs may occur, 

 but it is possible that cases upon which this statement is founded 

 were due to ergot poisoning. The old belief that recovery never 

 occurs is not supported by more recent observation, and many of the 

 milder cases are greatly improved by proper medicinal treatment. 



Maidismus. — Ordinarily known as pellagra, this may be defined 

 as a progressive disease leading to paralytic and other nervous dis- 

 orders, and caused by intoxication from the eating of damaged 

 Indian corn. The geographical distribution of maidismus is con- 

 fined to that portion of Europe lying between the parallels of 42° 

 and 48° N., with the exception of Corfu, one of the Ionian islands, 

 but within the above-mentioned region this disease is by no 

 means uniformly or universally distributed. It prevails in some 

 localities to such an extent that it has become a national calamity. 

 In 1879, one hundred thousand cases of this disease were reported 

 in Italy, and in 1881, fifty-six thousand in Lombardy alone. 

 Pellagra is confined to countries where the staple article of diet is 

 maize, and yet Indian corn constitutes a most nutritious and health- 

 ful article of food in other countries, as has been abundantly demon- 

 strated by the former well nourished condition of the large colored 

 population of the southern United States, for there probably never 

 has been a class of day laborers, certainly never a class of servants, 

 better fed and nourished than were the negroes of the South before 

 their emancipation ; and com bread, made from mature corn and 

 properly prepared, is both healthy and nutritious. Pellagra is 

 known only in those countries where, on account of an uncongenial 



