From the Stacks: "Red Madness' follows doctors' quest to eradicate disease

Have you ever heard of pellagra? In the early 1900s, it was one of the leading causes of death in the southern United States and a medical mystery that took decades to solve. What caused people to get pellagra? Why was it concentrated in the South? How did the doctors find a cure? Gail Jarrow's "Red Madness: How a Medical Mystery Changed What We Eat" explores the beginnings of pellagra in the United States and how doctors found the cure.

Pellagra was common in Europe for hundreds of years before appearing in the United States in 1902. Pellagra caused the four "D"s: dermatitis, diarrhea, dementia and death. It killed between 10-60 percent of the people affected. Before the disease was eradicated in the 1940s, it had killed 100,000 people and afflicted nearly 3 million. The majority of people in Europe and the United States believed pellagra was caused by eating bad corn products. Because of their limited diet, most of those impacted in the United States were poor and lived in the South.

"Red Madness" shows how the U.S. Public Health Service took up the challenge of pellagra. Teams of doctors experimented and tested for years to find a cause for the disease. They looked at multiple causes: corn, microbes, diet, insects and even sanitary conditions. Nothing seemed to fit. It wasn't until Dr. Joseph Goldberger took the lead on the investigation that real progress was made. Goldberger discovered patients improved when their diet included meat, milk and vegetables.

Even though the cure was proven and widely known, it took years for it to be fully accepted. In 1937, researchers identified the vitamin that prevented pellagra: nicotinic acid, now called niacin. This allowed the Public Health Service to create a solution to the pellagra problem. By 1941, three-quarters of all white bread in the United States was enriched with iron, thiamin, riboflavin and niacin. Pellagra was on its way out.

Gail Jarrow's compelling story will fascinate and intrigue readers whether or not they are fans of nonfiction or medical mysteries. She introduces each doctor responsible for the major breakthroughs in the investigation and includes individual case studies throughout the book to make the disease more personal. The many photographs illustrate just how debilitating and indiscriminate this disease was. It is a truly fascinating story for readers of all ages.

Children's nonfiction is some of the best nonfiction today. The narrative style draws readers in, and the addition of illustrations and images makes the information come alive. Most authors include extensive bibliographies so readers can find more information on the subject. If you haven't checked out the selection in the children's section, you should. You won't be disappointed.

Angie Bayne is the children's services manager at Missouri River Regional Library.