G. A. Wheeler coauthored a 1915 dietary experiment with Joseph Goldberger investigating the cause of pellagra. The study followed prisoners in Mississippi after placing them on a restricted diet dominated by cereal foods. Eleven remained in the experiment to its end; the authors reported symptoms sufficient for a diagnosis of pellagra in at least six. Other prisoners under observation did not develop comparable evidence of the disease.[ref]
Experimental Pellagra in the Human Subject Brought About by a Restricted Diet by Joseph Goldberger and G. A. Wheeler. printed pages 3336–3339, Experiment, Controls and Results
The comparison mattered because it changed food intake while observing people in the same broad setting. The findings supported a dietary explanation without identifying the particular missing nutrient. They should not be read as a population-wide disease probability: a small, selected group subjected to a particular intervention answers a narrower question. The report also records that participation followed an offer of a pardon, which is essential context for interpreting its use of the word “volunteer”.[ref]
Experimental Pellagra in the Human Subject Brought About by a Restricted Diet by Joseph Goldberger and G. A. Wheeler. page 3336, recruitment; page 3339, Conclusion
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