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In 1755, a report was published by Gaspar Casal describing a case of “pellagra,” a disease not known in Spain at the time, that was characterized by skin lesions, diarrhea as well as a dementia-like development, and which, interestingly enough, became significantly more frequent in the spring. Those affected were mostly poor, and their nutrition subsisted on cornmeal/corn grits with no access to milk or meat. In Italy, similar reports were made public, and here too it was mainly the poor who were affected. At first, too much corn was thought to be the cause, since corn was first imported into Europe by the Spanish after they colonized South and Central America. However, in these countries, corn did not cause the same symptoms, although the rural population also had little access to milk and meat. The difference was found in the processing of the corn. The Mexicans soaked the corn in a wood ash mixture, while the Europeans made the corn into polenta, which could lead to contamination with fungi or toxins. Further theories circulated until an American named Joseph Goldberger administered milk and eggs to sick people and thus was able to make the symptoms disappear9. This was reproduced and verified in various countries in Europe and the U.S., revealing that pellagra was a deficiency of a vital nutrient (nicotinic acid or vitamin B3).