The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1879-02-22
THE PACIFIC
CONNER lalAOber
Y. FEBRUARY %.
Leprosy in Chicago.
. GENUINE CASE y OF COURSE NcURADLE.

Several physicians witnessed yesterday what
was agreeable to them, but the contrary to one
with q sensitive stomach. The object was q lep-
or, and he was put on exhibition at the rooms OF
the Medical Press association by DR.. j. n. Hyde
for the benefit Of his professional brethren. The
patient, a man AZ years of age, was born in Os-
wego, n. Y, of French-Dutch parents, and has
been a sailc-. All his relatives are healthy.
When l6 years of age be ran away from home
and made a two-years' whaling voyage in the
Okhotsk seas, and during this cruise stopped
fourteen or fifteen weeks at Honolulu, on Oahu,
one of the Sandwich islands. On his next cruise
be deserted his ship at Honolulu and remained
there seven months. Shipping on another
whaler, he spent FIVE months at Honolulu in
three years. He returned to the United States
in 1861 and enlisted in the Fourth New Hamp-
shire volunteers, whence he was transferred In
1862, under the general order, into the navy,
serving on the Minnesota and afterwards the
Queen. In 1868 he was sent to the Asiatic
squadron, and while in the Iroquois touched at
several China ports. In 1864 be was on board
the Tuscarora cruising in the West Indies.
Subsequently, until a year or so ago. he was
attached to the Atlantic squadron. The disease
made its first appearance in 1874 and has gra-
dually increased in virulence. His present con-
dition is this: The general color of his skin is a
yellowish bronze. All over his body is whitish
patches, which arc totally insensitiye to touch
and to the deep prick of q lancet, there being an
entire loss of sensation in the legs up to the
knees, in the larger part of his hands, and in
nearly all of the trunk. His eyelashes and
eyebrows are gone, his sight is impaired, his
lower limbs covered with large crusted ulcers
covered with black scabs. The patches were
preceded by the formation of large blisters on
the surface. He walks with a painful limp,
but, when dressed, no one would imagine he was
n victim of this terrible malady, or of any
other, except for the color OF his skin and the
loss of his e~yelashes and eyebrows. lie has
what is called the anesthetic leprosy, the other
kind being tubercular, which shows itself by
the development of tubercules about the face.
THE DISEASE
Is absolutely incurable, and its treatment is
hygienic-good air, nutritious food, baths, &C.,
This patient sleeps well and digests his food,
but he has the characteristic apathetic look. His
suferings at present are more mental than physi-
cal, since, as stated a large part of his body is in
sensible. He walked along Clark street yester-
day, by no means warmly clad, and he wouldn't
have known il was winter If he hadn't seen the
snow on the ground. His friends and relatives
have abandoned him. and recently he has lived on
the charity of DIR. Hyde and some other physi-
clans. He sleeps at the cheap odging-houses,
prudently keeping his own counsel. Although
people would run If aware OF his presence, there
is really no danger, as the disease is neither here
ditary nor contagious. The best evidence OF this
is that leprous husbands have got healthy chill
dren. and their wives never tainted. Its seat is
largely in the nerves. AS to the origin of the
disease, that is unknown. 1t has been attributed
to the air, the soil, fish diet, etc. The latest
theory is that of DIR. Monroe, who believes alb
sence Of salt is the solution. He argues from the
prevalence of leprosy in India, where the tax on
salt is so high that the natives cannot get it.
But this patient of DIR. Hyde's has breathed the
salt air and lived on salt meats for twenty years.
Its durat ion is from fourteen to twenty years., so
this man has at least ten years of increasing mis-
cry to 60 through before death results from ex-
haustion. He wishes now he was dead. This is
THE FIFTH RECORDED CASE IN CHICAGO.
Two were reported by a Scandinavian physician
many years ago. a third was admitted to the
county hospital and the fourth exhibited to the
Chicago medical society in 1868 by DIR. Holmboe,
surgeon of the General hospital at Bergen, Nor
way, who made n tour throughout the North
western states for the purpose of investigating
the prevalence of the disease among the Norwe-
gian emigrants, he having found one victim in
this city.
There are perhaps 100 lepers in the United
States, reports having been made OF their pres
ence in South Carolina, Louisiana, Maryland,
New York, California, (Chinese), Minnesota and
Illinois, there being one other in this state.
There arc four cases in Norway, Minnesota, and
two in Minneapolis. While not apparently cur
ed by coming to this country, it is the opinion of
Profs. Beck and Danielson that the Norwegian
lepers would have been worse had they remained
at home. So with the patient whose history is
given above had he stayed in the Sandwich Is
lands. If he continues in Chicago he will have
to 60 to the poor-bouse, for he is incapable of sus-
tanning himself. In a recent lecture regarding
the case, DR.. Hyde advocated the establishment
of 4 hospital for incurables OF all kinds, where
they could live 10 comparative comfort until the
end came.-Chicayo Tribune.