Théophile Roussel and the elimination of Pellagra from 19th century France

Semba, Richard D.

doi:10.1016/s0899-9007(99)00273-7

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…Francesco Frapolli 16 was the first to coin the term ‘pellagra’. In the 19th century, the French physician Roussel eradicated pellagra by a public health campaign that persuaded the government to restrict the cultivation of maize in France 17 . However, pellagra remained endemic among the maize‐eating poor population of southern Europe for nearly two centuries.…”

Section: Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the 19th century, the French physician Roussel eradicated pellagra by a public health campaign that persuaded the government to restrict the cultivation of maize in France. 17 However, pellagra remained endemic among the maize-eating poor population of southern Europe for nearly two centuries. It was not until early in the 20th century that an American public health doctor, Joseph Goldberger, dedicated his life's work to demonstrating that pellagra was not an infectious disease, as was widely believed at the time, but was caused by a deficient diet.…”

Section: Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pellagra: a review with emphasis on photosensitivity

Wan

Moat

Anstey

2011

British Journal of Dermatology

148

147

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Niacin has recently been demonstrated to lower blood pressure in hypertensive patients and to reduce cardiovascular events when combined with a statin. As a consequence, niacin has been elevated from being of historical interest as the treatment for pellagra, to being a compound with possible relevance to contemporary therapeutics. In spite of this, niacin deficiency leading to pellagra continues to be a health problem in some countries. Characterized by an exposed-site hyperpigmented dermatitis, pellagra is generally accepted to have been the first photosensitivity syndrome described. At its worst, pellagra manifests as one of the most striking examples of systemic photosensitivity. This is the only photosensitivity syndrome where death is included as a cardinal clinical feature (the often quoted four 'Ds': dermatitis, diarrhoea, dementia and death). However, the pathogenetic mechanism for the photosensitivity caused by niacin deficiency has yet to be determined. This review seeks to update the classification and phenotypic characterization of the various forms of niacin-deficient photosensitivity. Previous speculation about possible mechanisms for the pathogenesis of photosensitivity due to niacin deficiency is reviewed in the context of advances in the understanding of the photochemical basis of photosensitivity reactions. The review concludes by highlighting research required to advance the understanding of this photosensitivity syndrome.

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Section: Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

Pellagra: a review with emphasis on photosensitivity

Wan

Moat

Anstey

2011

British Journal of Dermatology

148

147

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“…Notably, patients were generally poor, subsisted on maize diets and seldomly had access to fresh meat or eggs. This led French physician Théofile Roussel (1816–1903), who became involved in politics during the Third French Republic, to legislate towards decreased cultivation of corn, substitute it with other cereal crops and increase animal husbandry [ 1 ]. Interestingly, providing French peasants with wheat instead of corn bread curtailed pellagra in France [ 1 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Balancing NAD+ deficits with nicotinamide riboside: therapeutic possibilities and limitations

Cercillieux

Ciarlo

Cantó

2022

Cell. Mol. Life Sci.

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Alterations in cellular nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) levels have been observed in multiple lifestyle and age-related medical conditions. This has led to the hypothesis that dietary supplementation with NAD+ precursors, or vitamin B3s, could exert health benefits. Among the different molecules that can act as NAD+ precursors, Nicotinamide Riboside (NR) has gained most attention due to its success in alleviating and treating disease conditions at the pre-clinical level. However, the clinical outcomes for NR supplementation strategies have not yet met the expectations generated in mouse models. In this review we aim to provide a comprehensive view on NAD+ biology, what causes NAD+ deficits and the journey of NR from its discovery to its clinical development. We also discuss what are the current limitations in NR-based therapies and potential ways to overcome them. Overall, this review will not only provide tools to understand NAD+ biology and assess its changes in disease situations, but also to decide which NAD+ precursor could have the best therapeutic potential.

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“…34 These reports coincided with a widespread increase in the cultivation of maize, with maize becoming the staple food of poor peasants, especially those in the land tenure system. 34,35 Hospitals were established at Auch, Montpellier and Pau, for what Marie referred to as 'the terrible pellagrous insanity' 36 . Pellagra was a major subject of interest in scientific and sociologic thought and literature from 1829 to1880 and subsequent social reforms and agricultural changes led to a dramatic decrease in the prevalence of pellagra among the population, with asylums for pellagrins becoming vacant.…”

Section: Volume 114 | Number 9/10mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…15,34,35 The French physician Roussel, who later entered politics, was instrumental in bringing the disease to the attention of physicians, legislators and the French public, and contributed to bringing about legislation to improve the living conditions and diets of the rural poor, to diversify crop cultivation and to increase animal husbandry. 15,34,35 The first case in Romania was reported in 1810. 15,19 By the 1930s, the number of cases had steadily increased until, by 1932, a total of 55 000 cases with 1654 deaths had officially been recorded in the estimated population of about 184 300.…”

Section: Volume 114 | Number 9/10mentioning

confidence: 99%

Aetiological doctrines and prevalence of pellagra: 18th century to middle 20th century

Viljoen¹,

Bipath²,

Roos³

2018

S. Afr. J. Sci.

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Pellagra is characterised by dermatological, gastrointestinal and neuropsychiatric manifestations. Millions contracted the disease and hundreds of thousands died between the time it was first recorded until pellagra was finally recognised as a niacin-deficiency disease. Pellagra became epidemic when maize, with its limited bio-availability of nutrients such as niacin and tryptophan, became the staple food in the near-monophagic diets of the impoverished and institutionalised. By the mid-20th century, pellagra was all but eradicated in large parts. The decline in prevalence can largely be ascribed to a better understanding of the link between nutrition and disease, improvements in socio-economic conditions of workers and food enrichment. We briefly review aetiological doctrines on pellagra and the global spread of the disease from the early 18th century until the middle of the 20th century. In the final analysis, we examine the reasons for, and the legitimacy of, the persistent association between pellagra and the consumption of maize.

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Théophile Roussel and the elimination of Pellagra from 19th century France

Cited by 9 publications

References 1 publication

Pellagra: a review with emphasis on photosensitivity

Pellagra: a review with emphasis on photosensitivity

Balancing NAD+ deficits with nicotinamide riboside: therapeutic possibilities and limitations

Aetiological doctrines and prevalence of pellagra: 18th century to middle 20th century

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