Dr. Joseph Goldberger and the Fight Against Pellagra

Dr. Joseph Goldberger and the Fight Against Pellagra

Constant Wonder

Filth Parties (originally aired September 23, 2020)

Episode: Filth Parties (originally aired September 23, 2020)

  • Nov 27, 2020 8:00 pm
  • 32:06 mins

Guest: Alan M. Kraut, Professor of History at American University, and author of “Goldberger's War, the Life and Work of a Public Health Crusader” Contrary to the popular medical opinion of the time, Dr. Joseph Goldberger discovered that pellagra, a rampant epidemic in the South, was not infectious but diet-related. But the truth was hard to bear for the Southern establishment, and Dr. Goldberger had to resort to throwing "filth parties" where he and his colleagues ingested the disease to make their point. Find out how his discoveries still affect the food you eat today.