National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1873-11-07

4 Visit ~ the settlement Of Lspers To-
the Sandwich Islands,

HIObHc, IN ulscose OF the blood an
not q skin disease. II can DO cangL
only, am assured, by contact Of n
abraded surface with the matter OF III
leprons sore; and doubtless the habi
OF the people, Of many smoking tn
same pipe, has done much 10 dissent
nate il. Its first noticeable signs are
slight puiIlncss under tho eyes, and
swelling Of the lobes Of the ears. T,
tho practiced eyes Of DR. Trousseau
tho attending physician, theso sign
were apparent where ! could not per
,eive them until he laid his finger OF
them. Next follow symptoms which
vary greatly in different individuals
but marked sign is the retraction oI
the fingers, so that the hand comes 10
resemble n birds claw. la some cases
the face swolls in ridges, leaving deep
fnrrows between and these ridges are
shiny aud without feeling, so that pin
may he stuck into one without giving
pain to the person. The features ore
thus horribly deformed in some caaes
saw two young boys Of IL who look.
ed like old men of 60. In some older
men and women, the face was at first
sight revolving and baboon.hke say
Mt first sight, for on second look the
mild sad eye redeemed the distorted
features ; it was as though the man was
looking out of n horrible mask. At n
later stage of the disease these rugous
swellinRs break open into fostering
sores the nose and even the eyes are
blotted out, and the body becomes
putrid.
In other cases the extremities are
most severely attacked. The fingers,
after being drawn in like claws, begin
to tester. They do not seem TO drop
off, bnt rather to be absorbed, the nails
following the stumps down and | ac-
tually saw finger nails on hand that
bad 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 tho hands and feet were healed
over, the fingers and toes having
dropped off. Bnt the healing of the
sore IL but temporary, the disease pres
emily breaks out again. Emaciation
does not seem TO follow. | raw very
few wasted forms, and those only in the
hospitals, and among the worst cases.
There appears 10 he an astonishing te-
nacity Of life, and | was told they
mostly choke to death, or fall into a
fever caused 10y swallowing the poison
of their sores when these attack the
nose and throat. Those diseased give
out soon very sickening odor, and
was much obliged TO thoughtful man
in the settlement, who commanded the
lesers who had gathered gether to
hear an address from the Doctor to
form to leeward of us. / expected to
be sickened by the hospitals but these
are so we'll kept, and are 80 easily,
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 if any one vet
knows definitely not from all heard.
Judge that there must be some degree
Of predisposition toward disease in the
person to be contaminated. | believe
have DIR. Trousseau's leave to say, that
he contact of a wounded or abraded !
surface with the matter of leprous
'ore will convey the disease; this ia of
course innocu ition; and he seemed to
-hink no other method of 1ontamina-
non probable. | was careful to provide
myself with pair of gloves when | Wis
ted the settlement to protect my hands
II case l should be invited to shake !
lands; but | noticed that the doctor
earlessly shook hands with some of the
worst cases, even where the fingers were
uppnratlng and wrapped in rags.
here are several women ON theislands.
ontirmed lepers, whose husbands are
home and sound; one, notably, where
he husband is white man, On the
ther hand woman was pointed ont to
le, who had three husbands, each of
hon in n short time after marrying
er became leper. There are children,
epers, whose parents are not lepers
nd there are parents lepers whose
hlldren are at home and healthy.
There are three white men on the +,
'lahd, lepers, two of them in a very !
nd state. So far as could learn the !
articulars of their previous history,
icy had lived tagitiously loose lives;
ich as must have corrupted their blood
ng before they became lepers. in J
'me other cases of native lepers |
me upon similar histories; and while
do not believe that in every case, or i,
deed perhaps in a majority of cases, y
wolves such career of vice, should p
Y that this is certainly strongly "A
edisposing cause. And as to the
niger OF infection to a foreign visitor,
ere Is absolutely none, unless he g,
ould undertake to live in native fash "a
among the natives, smoking out of y
err pipes, sleeping under their tapas,
ID eating their food with them and
en- IN such an extreme case his risk 8,
'nld be very slight now, so thorough
has the disease been "stamped ont"
, the energetic action of the Board of
eaith. In short there il no more
* OF white resident or traveller
itching leprosy in the Hawiian Islands y
an IN the City or State of New York, Ju
nave heard one reason why this dis :,
Sc has been more frequent in the last -
years. About that time the islands
re visited by smallpox. This dis. NJ
sc made terrible ravages, and the oi,
vernment ut once ordered the people be
be vaccinated. There seems 20 be an
donbt that the vaccine matter used ire
s often taken from persons not pre. 1t
'usly in sound health this was prob. co
" unavoidable, but intelligent men. Va
g resident in the islands, believe CO
t vaccination thus performed with D,
lure matter had bad effect npon 60,
eople, leaving traces of a resulting ~f
rnption of their blood. s