Daily AncestorPellagra
Pellagra was a disease from lack of niacin in the diet, marked by rough skin, diarrhea and confusion; it killed many in the American South in the early 1900s.
Pellagra hit people who lived mostly on corn, especially poor families, mill workers and institution inmates in the South. Between 1906 and 1940 it affected millions of Americans and caused more than 100,000 deaths.
It returned each spring after winter diets, and was sometimes called spring sickness. Adding niacin to flour and bread largely ended it.
As seen in a recordSouthern death certificate, 1910s or 1920s
Cause: Pellagra; duration 2 yrs.
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Daily Ancestor. "Pellagra." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/causes-of-death/pellagra. Last checked 2026-10-01.