New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-10-24
LEPROSY.

CONTRACTED-lIS DENEbOAHihNi'
rrRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE ThBuNE'l
UoNoIIuU Aug. $50 much has been SAID ana
written Of late about the disease called leprosy, that
1b,vo had the curiosity TO visit the asylum for
lcnors n Molobai, where now very nearly all the
,c,,Ie suffering from this disease have been col
Iected under n law which directs this seclusion
The steamer Kilauea left Honolulu evening at
half pas, five o'clock, and dropped several of us
about two o'clock at night into whale-boat near
point on the lee side Of Molokai. Here we were
landed and presently mounted horses and rode
seven or eight miles 10 the hOuse Of a German, Mt
Meyer who Is the superintendent Of the leper settle
meni aud also, believe of a cattle farm when oe-
llugs TO the heirs of the late King. Mr.. Meyer mas
lived in MOlokai since 1853. He is marileu
To "a Hawaiian, and has large family
of sons and daughters VINO have been caIeluIy anu
cxc,lently brought up, am told. MIR. Meyer VINO
presided of breakfast is one Of those tall ana grand
IN proportioned women, whom you meet among inc
native popalaion not infrequently, VINO enable you
10 realize how il was that in the old times the
women exercised great influence In hawallah poll
ties She seemed born 10 command ana yet her
b.,evoiopt countenance and friendly smile OF vel
come showed that she would probably rule gently
From Nh MEYERS we rode some miles again. until AT
last We dsnounted at the top OF edge OF the great
,,rccipc, a, The foot of which, two thousand feet
hollow. lie, the plain of Kalawao, occupied by the
lepers.
AZ the ton we four dismountcd for the trail to the
bofton. though not generally worse than the trail
into tho Yosemite Valley, has some places which
would be daiaut and perhaps dangerous for horses.
From She edge Of the Pail precpice, the plain
below. which contains about 10000 acres looks like
ri, absolute Hat bounded on three sides by the blue
Pacific EarsCs awaited us at the bottom, and we
SION d,coyc-l that the plain possessed some con-
siderable elevations and depIeSsiOns. 1t Is believed
tn have boon once the bottom of vast crater, of
which the Pail we clambered down formed one OF
tho hills. the other having sunk beneath the ocean,
leaving few traces one side. 1t has yet one
considerable cone, hill two hundred feet high,
wenproscrycd subsidiary crater, on whose bottom
grass Is now growing while a little pool OF salt
wafer which rises and falls with the tide, shows
connection with the ocean. ride along the shore
showed mo also several other and smaller cones.
The whole great plain is composed Of lava stones,
and 10 one unfamiliar with the habits OF the sand
wien Islanders would seem to be an absolutely steT
ilsdesert Yet here lived not very many years ago,
considerable population who have left the marks
of an almost incredible industry in numerous fields
incloscd between walls of lava rock, well laid up :;
and in what is yet stranger, long rows of stones like
the WIN drows Of hay in grass field at home, evil
IDENTIFY piled there in order TO secure room IN the
long narrow beds partly cleared OF lava which lay
between to plant sweet potatoes. As l rode over
the trails worn in the lava by the horses of the old
inhabitants thought this plain realized the Yer
Inonters saying about piece of particularly
stony ground, that there was not room
in tle field to pile up the rocks it
contained Yet on this apparently desert
spaca. within quarter Of century
than thousand people lived contentedly and pros
perousy. after their fashion, and this though fresh
water IL so scarce that many of them must have
ricd their drinking water at least two even three
miles And here now live, among the lepers, or
rather little apart from them at one side Of the
plain, about hundred people, the remnant of the
former population, who were too much attached to
their homes to leave them and accepted sentence
Of perpetual seclusiOn here in common with the
leperf rather than exile to another part of the island
When we had discovered the cliff short ride
brought us to the house of luna, local overseer
native who is not eper; and of this house. being
uDcontaminated, we took possession.
By law OF the Kingdom. it is made the duty of
the Minister Of the Interior and under him of the
Board of Health, to arrest every one suspected of
JeDrosy and il medical examination shows that
he has Che disease 10 seclude the eper upon this part
of Molokai The disease, when it is beyond It's very
earliest stage. is held TO be incuTable. He who is
sent u Moiokai is therefore adjudged civly dead.
Ills wife upon application to the proper court is
granted decree of absolute divorce, and may
marry again; his estate is administered upon as
though he were dead. He is incapable of suing or
being aued and his dealings with the world there
after are through and with the Board Of Health
alone. In order that no doubtful cases may be sent
10 MoloRai there is hospital at Kalih near Homo
lulu. where the preliminary examinations are made,
and where Dr. rousseau the physician of the Board
of Health retains people about whom he is uncer-
tain.
The Icper settlement at MOlokai was begun so
long ago as 1868 but the law demanding the Sc
.lnson Of lepers was not enforced under the late
King. who is believed to have been himself suf-
fcrer from this disease and who at any rate, by con-
,tantly granting exemptions, discouraged the officers
the law Since the accession of the present King,
however a. has been rigidly enforced and it is this
which has caused the sudden and great cutlery about
leprosy, which has reached even you in the United
States and has caused many people 1T seems TO fear
10 come 10 the islands, as though foreigner would
be liable to catch the disease You must understand
that the native people have fear of the disease.
Until tho accession Of the present King
lepers were commonly kept in the houses of their
families ate, drank smoked and slept with their
own people and had their wounds dressed at home.
II the disease were Quickly OF readily Contagious it
must have spread very rapidly in such conditions;
and that il did not spread greatly rapidly is one
al the best proofs that it is not easily transmitted
When remember how, among the native people,
whole family smokes out Of the same pipe, and
sleeps together under the same tapa am surprised
that ~ few have the disease.
There at this time SO4 persons. lepers. in the
settlement besides about 100 non-epcrs who prefer
20 remain there at their ancient homes. Since Janu-
AIRY. 1865. when the first leper sent here, 1850