Pellagra Hospital

Front inscription

In 1914, a federal hospital dedicated to discovering the cause of pellagra opened at this site. Run by the U.S. Public Health Service, the 3-story facility had a capacity of 30 patients before being expanded in 1916. Led by Dr. Joseph Goldberger (1874-1929), doctors worked to determine if pellagra was caused by diet, as opposed to bacterial infection. The disease was an epidemic in the South, particularly among mill workers like those in Spartanburg County.

Reverse inscription

As part of their research, USPHS staff surveyed local mill workers and conducted experiments here, some on themselves. Their work helped link pellagra to a lack of meat, milk, fruit, and vegetables, foods that were often inaccessible to low-income southerners. The hospital treated patients from across S.C., providing healthy food and medical guidance. It closed in 1920. In 1937, niacin deficiency was shown to cause pellagra. Later, the disease was all but eradicated in the U.S.