A BIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF PELLAGRA-PRODUCING 
DIETS. 
V. THE NATURE OF THE DIETARY DEFICIENCIES OF A DIET 
DERIVED FROM PEAS, WHEAT FLOUR, AND 
COTTENSEED OIL. 
By E. V. McCOLLUM, N. SIMMONDS, anv H. T. PARSONS. 
(From the Chemical Laboratory of the School of Hygiene and Public Health 
of the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore.) 
(Received for publication, January 25, 1918.) 
There are described in the literature two types of experimental 
diets which are reported to have produced, the one in man and 
the other in dogs, a pathological condition which closely re- 
sembles, if indeed it is not actually identical with human pella- 
era (1, 2). It has long been suspected that pellagra is in some 
way the sequel to the long continued use of a faulty diet, but 
there have been various theories as to the manner in which the 
diet is at fault. 
The experiments of Goldberger (1) have rendered the relationship of 
the diet to the disease extremely probable. Men were restricted during 
53 months to a diet prepared from wheat flour (patent), corn meal, (corn) 
grits, cornstarch, white polished rice, standard granulated sugar, cane 
syrup, sweet potatoes, pork fat (fried out of salt pork), cabbage, collards, 
turnip greens, and coffee. At the end of 5} months, five of the eleven men 
thus restricted, showed unmistakable signs of the disease. Goldberger 
interpreted his results with creditable caution, but decided that, ‘‘On the 
whole, however, the trend of available evidence, strongly suggests that. 
pellagra will prove to be.a ‘deficiency’ disease very closely related to 
beri-beri’’ (1). 
Voegtlin (3), after a critical examination of the literature, and also 
from clinical observations, formulated his views concerning the etiology of 
pellagra as follows: 
‘‘From a survey of the clinical and pathological aspects of pellagra, I 
have arrived at the conclusion that we are dealing with a chronic intoxi- 
cation. While the agents at work in this intoxication are as yet unknown, 
I am inclined to believe that toxic substances exist in certain vegetable 
food, not necessarily spoiled, which if consumed by man over a long period 
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