How Dr. Goldberger’s Shocking Self-experiments Tried to End a Deadly Epidemic

In the early 20th century, a mysterious disease ravaged the American South. Victims of pellagra suffered from a grim quartet of symptoms: diarrhea, dermatitis, dementia, and ultimately, death. It spread rapidly through poor communities, claiming thousands of lives each year. Yet despite its toll, the medical establishment clung to one faulty belief: pellagra was infectious.

Enter Dr. Joseph Goldberger, a government physician on a mission. Goldberger was convinced pellagra wasn't caused by germs but by diet—specifically, a lack of vital nutrients in a corn-based diet common in institutions like orphanages and prisons. In 1914, he began studies that showed inmates could be made sick just by changing their meals. But his findings clashed with Southern pride and the prevailing dogma of infection.

So, in 1916, in a dramatic effort to silence his critics, Goldberger and his team—including his wife and close colleagues—volunteered to be human test subjects. They rubbed the skin of pellagra patients, swallowed their scabs, and even injected themselves with the blood of the afflicted. Not one of them fell ill. The “Filth Parties,” as these experiments came to be known, were theatrical, almost desperate acts of persuasion. Goldberger wagered his own life and reputation to prove pellagra wasn’t contagious.

But despite the spectacle, the medical community remained skeptical. It would take years and biochemical breakthroughs to confirm that pellagra stemmed from niacin deficiency. By then, Goldberger had died of cancer, never fully vindicated in his lifetime. Goldberger’s tale reminds us that evidence alone doesn't win minds, especially when it challenges comfort, culture, or pride. But it also inspires us to take a stance and risk on the things we truly believe in.

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