The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-11-10
What Is Leprosy.
A Wait to tbs Settlement OF LepsFa In
the Sandwich Islands

ITiOhNt, IL ulheAhe OF tue ploOu ana
not skin disease. It can be caught
only, am assured, by contact OF an
abraded surface with the matter OF the
leprous sore; and doubtless the habit
OF the people, Of many smoking the
same pipe, has done much to dissent.
nate It, Its first noticeable signs are a
slight pufIlness under tho eyes, and a
swelling Of the lobes Of the ears. To
the prGcticed eyes OF DIR. Trousseau,
the attending physician, these signs
were apparent where I could not per.
seiye them until he laid his finger on
them. Next follow symptoms which
vary greatly in different individuals |;
but marked sign is the retraction OF
the fingers, so that the hand comes to
resemble a birds claw. In some cases
the face swells in ridges, leaving deep
burrows between and these ridges are
shiny aud without feeling, so that pin
may be stuck into one without giving
pain to the person. The features are
thus horribly deformed in some cases |;
l saw two young boys Of - who look.
ed like old men Of 60. In some older
men and women, the face was at first
sight revolving and baboon.like; ] say
at first sight, for on q second look the
mild sad eye redeemed the distorted
features II was as though the man was
looking out Of n horrible mask. AT n
later stage Of the disease these rugOus
dwellings break open into fostering
sores the nose and even the eyes are
blotted ont, aud the body becomes
putrid.
In other cases the extremities arc
most severely attacked. The fingers,
after being drawn in like claws, begin
tofester. They do not seem 10 drop
of. but rather to be absorbed, the nails
following the stumps down and I ac-
tually saw Hnger rails OIL hand that
had no fingers. The nails were on the
knuckles; the fingers had all rotted
away. The same process of decay goes
on with the toes; in some cases the
whole foot had dropped away; and in
many the hands and feet were healed
over, tho fingers and toes having
dropped OF. But the healing Of the
sore Is but temporary, the disease pres.
emily breaks out ngain. EmaciAtion
does not seem 10 follow. saw very
few wasted forms, and those only in the
hospitals, and among the worst cases.
There appears to be an astonishing to.
uaciiy Of life, and 1 was told they
mostly choke to death, or fall into II
fever caused by swallowing the poison
OF their sores when these attack the
nose and throat. Those diseased give
out soon very Sickening odor, md l
was much obliged to a thoughtful man
in the settlement, who commanded the
le1ers who had gathered together 10
hear an address from the Doctor to
Form to leeward Of us. / expected to
be sickened by the hospitals but these
are so well kept, aud are 30 easily ven
tilated by the help Of the constantly
blowing trade wind, that the odor was
scarcely perceptible in them.
You will perhaps ask how Is the dis.
ease contracted. / doubt II any one yet
knows definitely not from all Iheard. |
Judge that there must be some degree
Of predispositiOn toward disease in the
person TO be contaminated. believe /
bave DR.. TrouSseau's leave to say, that
the contact Of wounded or abraded
surface with the matter Of leprous
sore will convey the disease; this Is OF
course innoculation; and lie seemed to
think no other method Of contamiDa.
ton probable. was careful to provide
myself with pair Of gloves when Wis.
tied the settlement to protect my hands
in case l should be invited to shake
hands; but ! noticed that tho doctor
feArlessly shook hands with some Of the
worst cases, even where the fingers were
suppunting and wrapped in rags.
There IRE several women on theislands,
confirmed lepers, whose husbands are
at home and sound; one, notably, where
the husband is n white man. On the
other hand woman was pointed out to
me, who had three husbands, each OF
whom in short time after marrying
her became leper. There are children,
leperS, whose parents are not lepers;
and there are parents lepers whose
children arc OF home and healthy.
There are three white men on the
island, lepers, two OF them in very
bad state. SO far as / could learn the
particulars Of their previous history,
they had lived hOgitiously loose lives
such as must hive corrupted theirblood
long before they became lepers.' In
some other cases of native lepers !
came upon similar histories; and while
l do not believe that in every case, or
indeed perhaps in majority OF cases,
involves such n career OF vice, / should
say that this Ia certainly q strongly
cause. And as to the
danger Of infection TO foreign visitor,
there is absolutely none, unless he
should undertake to live in native fash.
ion among the natives, smoking out Of
their pipes, sleeping nnder their tapas,
aud eating their food with them ; and
even in such an extreme case his risk
would be very slight now, so thorough.
" has the disease been "stamped ont"
by the energetic action OF the Board Of
Health. In short, there is no more
risk Of white resident or traveller
catching leprasy in the Hawiian Islands
than in the City or State Of New York.
Ihaye heard one reason Why this dis.
ease has been more frequent In the Lost
ten years. Abost that time the islands
were visited by smallpox. This dis.
ease made terrible rayages, and the
Government at once ordered the people
to be Vaccinated. There seems to be
no doubt that the vaccine matter used
was often taken from persons not pre-.
yionsly in sound health ;this was prob
ably unavoidable, but intelligent men,
long resident in the islands. believe