Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-02-16
THE CASE OF FAT FOON.
The Chinese Lsper Before the Medical Society
of San Francisco.

The regular monthly meeting OF
the San Francisco Medical Society
was held last night at Red Mems
Hall. After the transaction of the
usual routine business, DR.. Black
called attention to the case of the
Chinese leper, Sarn Foon, or Fat
Foon, who was present. Fat came
forward at the Doctors motion, and
submitted very readily to inspec-
ton. Stripping himself for that
purpose and betraying no sensitive
ness to the free handling of the
medicos, who, on their part, seem.
ed to have little fear of contagion
-crowding closely around him and
touching his face and person. His
head was by all means the worst
looking part OF him, resembling
one of the foothills, scanned and
cross-seamed by gullies and deep
ravines. There was no scale upon
his face or body, but his ankles,
which were somewhat swollen,
presented
sCALY APPEARANCE.
He appeared at least 90 years old,
though his age was said to be but
81. The curiosity of the doctors be-
ing at length satisfied, and Sarn
Foon having resumed his clothing
and his seat, DR.. Black proceeded to
read paper he had prepared, with
the assistance of the Chinese ply
stefan who had had this and several
other cases of leprosy under his
charge, concerning leprosy in gen.
eral and this type and case in par
ticular. The particular type of the
disease called leprosy with which
Sarn was afflicted, was tuberosis--a
highly significant name, as it
caused the head to approximate
very closely in appearance to n
monstrous tuber. He was fist
attacked with it in China,
about three years before he came
to this country, or about four years
ago. He has a wife and three chill
dren in China. His general habits
are good, and he does net
know what was the cause
of the disease. 1t is most common
in those parts of China which are
low and marshy, and where the in
habitants are poor and have INSULT
cient and improper food. After the
first year the disease is considered
incurable. 1t is inherited, but dies
out generally in the third or fourth
generation. There is another spe-
cies of leprosy, prevalent in the
East, in which the body is covered
with white scales, and the flesh, in
stead of putting up and scanning,
rots and falls away. This species
is very contagious, but tuberosis is
not-under ordinary circumstances.
By continued close contact or SEX
al intercourse, it might be commu-
nicated
DIR. LOO CHAN FoEY,
The Chinese physician alluded to
by DR.. Black, was then introduced
and answered some questions
through an interpreter. He did
not consider this type OF the dis
ease contagious to any considera-
BILE extent. In answer to ques-
ton whether q nurse affected with
il might communicate il by nurs-
ing to healthy child, he said he
thought she would. In the discus
sion which followed one physician,
who had been good deal among
the Chinese, said the premonitory
symptoms of leprosy were similar
to those of malarial poisoning, and
expressed the opinion that the dis
ease might become endemic in the
low valleys of California, but in
the coast counties or the mountain
districts he would have no fear of
it. The Chinese in this city gener-
ally, he thought, did not regard 1t
as contagious. A contrary opinion
was expressed by some of the men,
bers, but as one of them remarked,
there were not sufficient data to
form definite opinion upon.-
S. F. Chronicle 18Th.