The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1872-05-11
THE LEPERS OF TRACADIE,
The LeprOsy of the Scriptures Blasting
u Seaside Town in North America.

The Leprcsy OF the Scriptures Blasting
Seaside Town i'm North America.
Letter from st. Johns, N B., to the New York Sun
Will Americans believe that leprosy,
g the eldest daughter of Death" exists
on this continents Though 7 had seen
something to that effect in the Apple
toms encyclopedia, /, for ole, did not
believe it before I heard of Tracadie.
This is a snail village on the marshy
fringe OF Gloucester county, N. b.,
about twenty-five miles south of the
gulf of the st. Lawrence. Landward,
the eye rests on dreary, monotonous
level, dotted here and there by wretch
ed fsherman's novels. Seward, the
low line OF the horizon is broken by no
sail, and silence btoods over
the gloomy spread of wa
| tiers. Tracadie is of French
origin, having been settled by Basque
colonists soon after the peace of
Utrecht, early in the 18th century. 1t
was poor and miserable enough from
the first, but Gods chosen curse fell
upon it, toward 1760, when vessel
from the Levant was wrecked upon its
shores. and bales OF old clothes, teen
ing with plague germs, were washed
upon the sand. A terrible pestilence
broke out and decithated three of the
surrounding villages, and what was
worse, it's seeds remained From that
day to this, Tracadie has never been
purged of the malady
There seems to be no reason to doubt
that this singular disease is the ancient
leprosy, or the elephanteasis Greco-
rum. l will note some Of the strange
symptoms of this Tracadie distemper
Three stages are distinguished In the
first, the skin takes ON d morbid dead
whiteness. La the second, it becomes
slightly yellow. In the third, it turns
to deep red, violet, and sometimes even
assumes a greenish tinge. Let us fol
low case through those different
stages The patient begins by exper-
fencing d bttthin1 fever aud rackine
ague, stiffness and weakness III the
Joints, heaviness in the chest, rushing
of blood to the head, and many other
sensations of languor The most re-
markable symptom, however, is an
utter insensibility to pain The lepel
can bear the picking Of q sharp inst1u
ment. Such as a needle, or knife
blade, into any part of the body with
out feeling hurt Instances are giveI
of lepers burning hands and feet with
out knowing it. In one case it was moi
z till the smell of charred flesh had at
tracted the attention of third person
that one of these unfortunate men wa.
rescued from fire into which he hat
fallen. Gradually the whole appear
ance Of the skin Is replaced by yellow
ish spots, generally the size of dolla.
, piece. These spots are at first senarat
cd from each other, but little by Ettl
they extend their circles, until, touch
e ing together, they cover the who'll
4 body with a mantle of rottenness
t Then follows 4 swelling of tn
limbs, and the bloatlng Of the bod,
; from head to foot, until finally, tn,
: skin, being too much distended, burs is
; and ulcers of the most disgusting sor
: break out The skin takes a shin
e look, as if it were Vanished. tn
;, flesh between the thumb and forefnge
q shrivels. The extTemities of the hand
y and feet grow very small, and in som
cases, toes and fingers drop from thei
J. articulations without pain to the sic
} man. The face generally very nue.
:; swollen. The ears, chin and cheek ar
covered with tubercles, hard ard red
q the size Of large pea. The eyes, hav
o drawn from their sockets, are Athlete
with a kind of cataract, which sofnt
IS times results IN fotol h1;--1--~~- Il
i this last stage the color c
a the skin is usually reddish or purplisl
), The end, of course, is with the inferno
1t organs. The bronchial tubes becom
e obstructed and gorged with the tub,
role, so that breathing finally become
= mere whistle, and the patient is ever
u moment threatened with suffocatior
n The death struggle is appalling beyon
/, that of any other known disease. .
IS devoted priest who has attended som
Is of these cases declares that they SUI
pass in horror anything he ever wi
r messed, and ready as he is to fly to tn
1t relief of any form of human misery
l. he prays God never to behold again tn
II death of leper.
e 1t is not an epidemic.