Activity #2 : Pellegra

Today students studied Pellegra. This was a prevailing disease in the 1910's that infected poor southern people. This was a new disease that no one really knew what caused it. There were 3 predictions for the cause of Pellegra: Corn, insects, and Bacteria. Dr. Goldberger came into the picture and started studying people's diets. He focused on orphans and prisoners and looked at their diet. He found that they were not eating fruits or vegetables which contain vitamins. He later concluded that people getting Pellegra had no Niacin or vitamin B in their diet. This changed people's lives forever. Today, scientist inject most foods with vitamin B to prevent Pellegra. Students had to answer analysis questions from the movie.

Homework: Look at food at your home and find one food that contains Niacin and write it down!

Have a great weekend!