Filth Parties Dispelled Disease Myths

Filth Parties Dispelled Disease Myths

Constant Wonder

Leprosy Myths

Episode: Leprosy Myths

  • Mar 23, 2021 7:00 pm
  • 20:16 mins

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. 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”