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

, Il Disease That may Aet become common
In America.
DR.. Wasson writes to the Louisville
Courier-Journal 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 your
columns for few short chapters on the
subject of this most loathsome and terri
BILE disease, calling. attention to its past
and present existence, the probabilities
of its origin in early ages, how its vic
tins are affected and the erroneous ideas
concerning the disease as expressed in
the article alluded to. There is, perhaps,
no subject which has attracted more at
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 country, and may be-
come common enough in time, till the
sight will become quite familiar, posi-
bly,, in all our cities, it is only reasonable
to anticipate a growing interest with the
appearance of the disease.
This awful scourge, which aflicts the
human body, although comparatively
unknown in the largest 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,
unadvisedly, 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 it only
the more obscure and wonderfully strange
phenomenon.
In 1868 the Royal College of Physi-
clans of Great Britain issued a series of
interrogatories, which were sent to medi-
cal men in different parts of the world,
the result of which IVES 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
interrogatory, the account of the post
uortem examination that had been made
on cases of leprosy, the nature and ten
dency of the disease and its 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 and Syria, and collected information
of great value from residents and physi-
clans, as we'll rs from personal observa-
ton and examination of cases, shall
now proceed to give the reader who feels
an interest in this subject short detail
of facts and conclusions thus drawn from
NY own researches, which will embrace,
frst-symptoms and pathology of lep-
rosy.
In giving this, I acknowledge my in
debtedness to my esteemed friend and
eminent physician, John Wortabat, NJ.
D., D. D., native of Greece, but long a
resident in Syria, with whom I spent q
part of my time when in that country.
The most prominent features of leprosy
which form its peculiar characteristics
are these: Anasthesia 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 red, dusky, glossy hue; the
hair of the face falls off, sometimes COM
pletely; tubercules appear on the face
and extremities, which break from time
to time, or large bul6G 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 hands and feet become
crippled; the voice becomes husky, or is
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 a few years the victim
sinks from exhaustion or some intercur-
rent disease. The Greeks called this
disease elephantidsis, but the Arabs make
careful distinction between what was
anciently known to the Greeks as ele-
phantia,is and true leprosy, or what they
call el judham, but ordinarily called ed
Da' el Kebir, the Great Disease. One OF
the earliest symptoms Of which the VIC
tim takes particular notice is a loss OF
sensation OF motion in one or all of the
extremities, sometimes on the face, and
less frequently on the body. On its first
appearance the circulation becomes fee
bic, the color dusky, and general sensa-
ton or feeling diminished. The patient
describes it as one of numbness; some
times he calls it singing, pricking
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 lose their natu-
raj feeling or sensibility, so that in walk
ing he may cast off loose slipper without
being aware of it. At this time or soon
after, the face becomes similarly affected,
with change of complexion plainly
marked, and disfgured appearance OF
the features, which is so peculiar to this
disease. The color becomes red, dusky
and shining, the skin thickened and
knotted; the hair of the head, the eye
brows and lashes often entirely disappear,
with red and watcry eyes. When the
body becomes attacked, the skin is affec-
ted in patches.
The earliest symptoms of the disease
are ushered in las stated by Ell Kamory
an ancient Arabian author) by a ICON.
gested appearance of the eyes, duskiness
of the skin, huskiness of the voice, fetid
perspiration, pufiness of the face, with
liberation and increased reduess and
gradual loss of the hair of the eye
brows."
In his great concern as to the fearful
consequences of his malady, the patient
rarely speaks of it. All active cheerful
ness is lost, and the leper assumes a sad
subdued, melancholy mein through life
He knows he is victim of an incurablt
and loathsome disease, Stunned by biz
| nearest rnlotions disabled from work