Pellagra was first described in the 18th century as an epidemic in the poverty-stricken Spanish countryside by Gaspar Casal. Pellagra did not appear in the United States until the turn of the 20th century. It then ravaged the Southern United States and was not eliminated until the 1940s. This short report will redact the descriptions of pellagra in two early textbooks of dermatology. The first, published in 1897 before cases of pellagra were recognized in the United States, and, the second, published in 1915 in the midst of the epidemic. The text published in 1915 described in detail the medical signs and symptoms of pellagra particularly as they relate to the skin, as well as speculations as to its cause. The complicated story of the socioeconomic situation of the Southern United States and the hunt for the cause of pellagra will also be discussed briefly.
18世纪时，加斯帕尔·卡萨将糙皮病首次描述为西班牙贫困农村地区的一种流行病。糙皮病直到20世纪之交才在美国出现。随后它肆虐了美国南部，直到20世纪40年代才被根除。这份简短的报告将编辑两本早期皮肤病学教科书中对糙皮病的描述。第一本于1897年出版，当时美国尚未发现糙皮病病例；第二本于1915年出版，正值疫情期间。1915年出版的文本详细描述了糙皮病的医学体征和症状，尤其是与皮肤相关的症状，以及对其病因的推测。还将简要讨论美国南部复杂的社会经济状况以及对糙皮病病因的探寻。
