Scientific Discovery Assignment
What evidence shows that Pellagra is not caused by a germ? Give at least two examples for full credit. (5 pts)
The first evidence found by Dr. Joseph Goldberger was that Pellagra did not affect the staff in establishments he examined, while germ would not distinguish between staff and inmates. Researching further, he found the second evidence when he witnessed that children who had been fed sufficiently and with fresh food recovered from the disease (Kraut, n.p.).
A dietary deficiency of the B vitamin niacin (nicotinic acid) caused Pellagra. (1 pt)
Fortification with tryptophan cured Pellagra in the south. (1 pt)
When you encounter news of a study that shows that people who eat more fruits get fewer colds, this type of study shows causation or correlation? (1 pt)
Correlation
You encounter news of a study where one group of people were given a diet plan and told to follow it, and another group of people were given a diet plan, told to follow it and met each week as a group with a health educator. The group that met with the health educator complied more closely with their diet. This study shows causation or correlation? (1 pt)
Causation
Lambroso thought that spoiled or moldy corn caused Pellagra while Goldberger was convinced that a dietary deficiency caused Pellagra. Describe an experiment that you might conduct to demonstrate which of these two hypotheses are correct. Your experiment should be a human or animal intervention that satisfies the criteria in the textbook on pages 18-25. Be sure to include the observational question you will be evaluating, your hypothesis, the type of study you will be conducting, length of your experiment, a detailed description of your subjects including control and experimental groups, data to be collected, how results will be interpreted, etc. (11 pts)
The general research question of the study proposed will identify the reason of Pellagra comparing to hypotheses which have been proposed in the past: the impact of spoiled or moldy corn and a dietary deficiency. The research hypothesis will be that Pellagra in humans is caused by a dietary deficiency. To prove this hypothesis, a typical repletion-depletion study will be conducted. The length of the experiment will reach two months. In order to prevent any ethical difficulties which may arise if the experiment is conducted on people, the research will be conducted on mice, which have similar digestion processes to people and thus are often involved in studies related to Pellagra (Smolin and Grosvenor, 21).
The researchers will purchase and develop several generations of female mice and divide them into two groups, one which will be experimental one and the other will play the role of a control group. The authors of the experiment will feed both groups with spoiled corn during the course of the study. Besides, the experimental group will be fed insufficiently so that its participants gets a dietary deficiency of B vitamin. At the same time, the control group will be fed with enough products, which will prevent the emergence …
