The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-02-06
FACTS ABOUT LRPE0sY.
A Disease That Axay Yet Become Common
In Amcrscas


DIR. Wasson writes to the Tsouisyill;
Courfer,Journai as follows: AS the arti
Gle in last Sundays paper, headed "a
Leper in Chicago" was generally read
no doubt with great interest, the writer
OF this respectfully asks space in you,
columns for o few short chspters on the
subject of this most loathsome and Terri.
BILE. disease, calling' attention to it's pasi
and present existence, the probabilities
Of its origin in early ages, how its vic.
Tins are affected and The erroneous idees
concerning the disease as expressed ia
the article alluded to. There Is, perhaps
no subject which has attracted more OF.
tention among medical men of late years
than the disease Of leprosy. And now
that it has been brought to our very
doors, In our own corutry, and may be.
come common enough in time, till the
sight will become quite familiar, possi.
oly, in ell olr cities, it is only reasonable
to anticipate growing interes: with the
appearance of the disease.
This awful scourge, which afflicss the
human body, although comparatively
unknown in the lergest part of Europe
even to the present day, is very common
in many countries, and its origin and
history date back to early antiquity. I
have used the word origin here in con.
nection with its history, not however.
unadviscdly, and to which will refer
subsequently,.
The fact that this dreadful disease has.
until recently, been removed so far from
the field of modern Investigation by
medical scientists, both in Europe and
America, has continued TO make Il onlv
the more obscure and wonderfully strange
phenomenon.
In 1858 the Royal College of Physi-
clans Of Great Britain issued a series OF
interrogatories, which were sent to medi-
cal men in different parrs of the world,
the result OF which was an accumulation
OF vast amount of valuable informa-
ton. The conclusions drawn by the
committee of the college from an exam
ination of The entire evidence submitted
to them on the subject-matter of each
iaterrogatory, the account of the post
mortem examination that had been mnde
on cases of leprosy, the nature and ten
dency of the disease and it's general
character, &C., afforded matter of the
greatest interest to the general reader.
Having travelled much, and spent con-
siderable time IN different parts of the
Orient, and paid some attention to the
study OF leprosy in various parts of those
countries, but especially in Egypt, Pales-
tine aLc Syria, and collected Information
OF great value from residents and physi-
clans, as veil as from personal observa-
ton and examination of cases. I shall
now proceed to give tho reader who feels
nm interest in this subject short detail
OF facts and conclusions thus drawn from
NY own researches, which will embrace.
hrst-symptoms and pathology of lep-
rosy.
In giving this, acknowledge my in
oebtedness to my esteemed friend and
eminent physician, John Wortabat, N.
d.. ID. D., native of Greece, but long q
resident in Syria, with whom spent a
part OF my time when in that country.
The most prominent features of leprosy
which form its peculiar characteristics
are these: An@sthesia of the extremities.
often involving the face and rarely or
seldom the trunk of the body; the skin
Is generally thickened and changed in its
color into q red, dusky, glossy hue; the
hair of the face falls off, sometimes com
pletely; tuberculcs appear on the face
and extremities, which break from time
to time, or large bulbe are formed on the
extremities, which are often converted
into deep, corroding, fetid ulcers; the
joints OF the fingers and toes are almost
invariably involved during the course OF
the disease, often sloughing away joint
after joint, till the banda and feet become
crippled; the voice becomes husky, or ia
wholly lost, and the respiration becomes
difficult. While these changes are going
on the general health is more or less i'm.
paired, and after few years the victim
sinks from exhaustion or some intercur.
rent disease. The Greeks called this
disease elephantiasis, but the Arabs make
careful distinction between what was
anciently known TO the Greeks as ele-
Phantiasis and true leprosy, or what they
call ek .iadham, but ordinarily called ee
Da' el Re6ir, the Great Disease. One OF
the earliest symptoms of which the VIC
tim tahrs particular notice ia loss OF
sensation or motion in one or all of the
extremities, sometimes on the face. and
less frequently on the body. On its frs,
appearance the ci.culation becomes fee.
BILE, the color dusky, and general sensa.
ton or feeling diminished. The patien!
describes it as one of numtaess some
times he calls it a stinging, prickine
pain.
The skin Of the affected parts is at first
puffy, and ultimately permanently thick.
ened and somewhat scaly; sometimes
With hard, corded, knotty lines running
up the forearms. As the disease advan.
ces, the fingers and toes loss their natu.
raj feeling or sensibility. 80 that in walk.
ing ne may cast off a loose slipper without
being aware of it. At this time or soon
after, the face becomes similarly affected
with o change of complexion plainly
marked, and q dislgured appearance oi
the features, which is so peculiar to this
disease. The color becomes red. dusky
and aiming, the skin thicsoued and
knotted; the hair of the, head, the eye
Drows ana iashes often entirely disappear
with red and watery eyes. When the
body becomes attacked, the skin is affec
ted in patches.
The earliest symptoms of the disease
are ushefed in las stated by Ell Kamory
an ancient Arabian authorl by q econ
gested appearance of the eyes, duskinesl
of the ski, si;; ::s @ OF q tho voic. f:;x.; t.
perspiration, ppffiness of the face, will
liberation and increased reduces ans
gradual loss of the hair of the eye
brows."
In his great concern as to the fearfu
consequences of his. malady, the patien
rarely speaks of it, All active cheerful
meas is lost, and the leper assumes a sad
subdued, melancholy mein Though life
He knows he is victim of an incurabl
and loathsome disease, Stunned by hi
nearest relations. disabled from wnsL
and reduced to dependence, if not to th
mos most a5jsct g; poverty, Is is frequently tn
heavy indeed 70 be borne, and this feel
ing sometimes becomes so intolerable q
mt an ut,titY tlv and ", b;s l;fa