Joseph Goldberger: An Unsung Hero of American Clinical Epidemiology

1 September 1994 | Volume 121 Issue 5 | Pages 372-375

Pellagra, a disease rarely seen in developed countries today, was common during the first half of this century in the United States. The disease was initially believed to be infectious, and severe "pellagraphobia" left many victims and their families ostracized. This paper calls attention to Joseph Goldberger, an American physician whose remarkable research helped correct the erroneous belief in an infectious cause for pellagra and led to the elimination of pellagra epidemics in the United States.

Author and Article Information

From Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.
Requests for Reprints: J.G. Elmore, Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, P.O. Box 208025, New Haven, CT 06520-8025.