A nutritional disease of childhood associated with a maize diet.

There is a well-marked syndrome, not unconmm-only founid among the children of the Gold Coast Colony, which I have not found described. About twenty cases have been seen in the last year. The syndrome consists of cedema, chiefly of the hands and feet, followed by wasting; diarrhoea; irritability; sores, chiefly of the mucous membranes; and desquaination of areas of the skin in a manner and distribution which is constant and unique. The disease attacks children of either sex, between one and four years old. It appears to be due to some dietetic deficiency and to be uniformly fatal unless treated early. In all the cases seen there was a history of an abnormal diet. Breast feeding had been given by an old or else a pregnant woman, and the only supplementary food consisted of preparations of maize, namely arkasa and kenki, as described below.