A 1902 outbreak of a little known illness called Pellagra grew into an American Epidemic that lasted nearly 4 decades. Formerly only diagnosed in Europe, the symptoms included red rashes on the hands face and back, diarrhea, weight loss, and mental illness. Cases were rampant in the deep south, particularly among the very poor in the mill towns, coal mines and sharecropping farms. But what was causing it, and how to treat it?
Complete with large graphic photos of the Pellagra victims (no nudity) and biographies and photos of the brave and dedicated doctors and scientists who tried to combat it, this was well written, gross but not excessive, and informative without a lot of difficult vocabulary. The use of period references to mental illness (Insane Asylums, Madhouses) make this a PG for Language.
MS -- ESSENTIAL HS-- ADVISABLE Lisa Librarian
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