Lab 2: The Pellagra Story

Warm Up: How is Science used to study people?

Vocabulary:
1. ethics - beliefs of what is right and wrong
2. hypothesis - a scientific prediction based off of previous knowledge of a subject
3. evidence - pieces of information gathered in an experiment
4. observation - pieces of information gathered by using the 5 senses
5. Inferences - a prediction based off of an observation
6. trade-offs - is something given up in selecting one alternative over another

Table 1: Notes on the Pellagra Story
A. What was the symptoms of pellagra?
B. What did people think caused pellagra?
C. What evidence did Dr. Goldberger observe or collect about pellagra?
D. What did Dr. Goldberger conclude about the cause of pellagra?

Analysis Questions:
1.a. What was the first step in Dr. Goldberger’s research into pellagra? Explain why this step was important in developing his hypothesis.

1.b. During this first step in Dr. Goldberger’s research, what evidence did Dr. Goldberger find that suggested that pellagra was not caused by germs?

2.a. What was Dr. Goldberger’s hypothesis about the cause of pellagra?

2.b. What did Dr. Goldberger do to provide evidence of the relationship between pellagra and nutrition? Explain how Dr. Goldberger’s research provided evidence that supported his hypothesis. Explain how Dr. Goldberger’s research provided evidence that disproved his hypothesis.

2.c. How could Dr. Goldberger have provided more convincing evidence of the relationship between pellagra and nutrition?

3. Why didn't people believe Dr. Goldberger's conclusion about the cause of pellagra? Give two reasons.

5. To investigate his hypothesis, Dr. Glodberger had prisoners volunteer to be fed a poor diet; as a result 7 out of 11 prisoners developed pellagra. What do you think about Dr. Goldberger's decision to experiment on people? Support your answer with evidence and identify the trade-offs of your decision.

6. How do people in different careers solve problems? Scientists, plumbers, engineers, auto mechanics, nurses, teachers, and many other workers solve problems. Choose two careers that interest you. Describe the kind of problems you think people face in these careers. Describe how you think they solve them.