Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1873-10-01
Is Leprosy Oontagious2 Q
A San Francisco correspondent Of

A San Francisco correspondent of
the Graphic says:
The experience of all people among
whom il has existed in Egypt, China,
the Sandwich Islands, and elsewhere,
has resulted in the unqualified AFR
nation that IL is. A few physicians,
and still more unprofessional persons
in this country, protest that IL is not,
except under peculiar circumstances.
The argument is common one. awe
have had the loprosy here in Califor-
MIA ever since we have had tho Chi
ncsc, why, If it is contagious, has It
not spread among the white people?"
There is primary error here 10 the
assumption that it has not. The fact
is that il has A man named Elkrdgo
died here u few months since from
this disease. Another died OF il not
long since in the Alameda county hos
piial. Judge Asher Bates, a man who
held the highest place in the esteem
Of the people Of San Francisco, died
but few weeks since, and il has been
affirmed to me that this horrid pest
was the cause of his demise. know
of one case now in progress here,
white man, who is suffering from lep-
rosy and only refrain from giving
his name by request of the physician
who has him in charge. Could the
truth be known about the spread of
eprosy among the white population,
it would be appalling But it cannot
be, as yet. Those afflicted with tho
disease suppress the fact until the last
moment possible. Then, it must be
remembered that the processes Of this
plague are as terribly slow as they are
sure Years may elapse, after it is
contracted, before it makes its ap-
pearancc in any way whatever Dur
ing all this time il is slowly permea-
ting the entire system, tainting every
atom OF blood, ripening and gaining
strength. There will surely come a
time-if some mercful fatality docs
not previously cut short the life of
the infected being, while he is in hap
py unoonsciousness of his overhang-
ing fate-when some spark will set all
the venom in action. An overheating
of the blood, some excess, a change
of life or habits, may develop it. But,
even after this occurs, when the dis
ease has shown itself, il may consume
ten or fifteen years in reaching its in
evitable end. In all this time there
is no point at which cure is practical
BILE. The utmost science can do is to
alleviate the sufferings of the doomed
wretch. The most kindly thing to do
to leper would be to knock him on
the head, hard enough to put him out
Of his misery. The next best is to var
nish him, so as to keep the air from
his tumors, and so allay his itching.
The Chinese do not quite so strictly
shun the lepers, yet even they avoid
touching them. Itis their belief that
the leprosy is only communicated by
actual contact with the minute scales
which fall from the leper's livid tu-
mors; hence, the leper finds home
in a separate pen among them, has a
tub all to his own use in their wash
house, table by himself in their cigar
factories, bench where he may work
alone at slipper-making. By what
regulations of their own all this is af-
fected, a white man cannot find out.
They have their own laws, Judges and
penalties ms much here as in China, and
stolidly refuse any information con-
cerning them, or rather evade inquiry
by a "no sabe, or "me no understand"
That they have a system of isolation
for the leper is, however, very appa-
rent. How Tar the disease actually
prevails among them is another thing
which passes the wisdom of the Cau-
casian to find out. The MoDgol is
nothing if not "devilish sly" Ho
knows better than TO expose a fact
which might seriously initiate against
his retaining foothold upon our soil,
even if ii were not sufficient for him
tha. hc despises our laws of registra-
ton, reviles our Boards Of Health,
and condems all our social usages.
So, If one of them dies of leprosy,tb
survivors prefer TO pay q couple OF
dollars to some medical practitioner
for certificate that the dead man
"passed in his checks" from some or
er cause, and so quietly enable them
TO bury him until such time as his
bones can conveniently be picked out
and sent home to China where all
Chinaman's bones are sent,