The south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1879-1883, 1880-05-11
THE 1EpEa's HOME.
MEN AND WOMEN WAITING THE DRY
ROT TO END THEIR LIFE.

[IIavans Cor. Philadelphia Times,
A matter which, from It's peculiar
horror, | am not likely readily to for
get, was visit made 10 the Hospital
dc San Lazaro, at Havana, the home
ofthe lepers. This ancient and ter
rible disease finds many victims
among the low caste Cubans and the
poverty stricken Chinese, though 1t
reaches its gaupt fingers in better 50.
cieiy sometimes. Leprosy is either
inherited or induced by poor food,
and especially by the eating Of stale
fish. II seems to be tish-eator's dis.
ease, in fact, seldom prevailing ut any
great distance from the sea. Leprosy,
as seem IN the West Indians, is sim
ply dry rot. The soul OF man is
imprisoned in his body loug after he
is, to all intents and purposes, dead,
and, with all his mental faculties in
tact, he must endure the gradually
falling apart of his earthly tenement,
awaiting with what philosophy hc
may the hour when his canccrous
agent shall touch y vital spot. This
may not occur tor many years II may
happen tomorrow. The traditions
Of the hospital do not point to any in-
dividual case OF cure whereby tho
patient may gain even so faint hope.
1t might well be inscribed over the
portal: "Let those who enter here
leave all hope behind"
There were five of us In the party
which drove out through tho hot
streets toward the forbidding suburbs
facing the sea-Dr. Burgess, an Amer.
can resident physician and United
States sanitary officer; All invalid
doctor from Hartford, and three
Journalists. San Lazaro is located
just where, In more modern city,
we might look for big aud prosper
GUS hotel. II looks out across u lew
low houses upon the fair prospect VI
the harb0r's mouth, and the sea sends
its unf,ttered waves straight In from
the northwarl, dasllins up the spray
almost TO its walls. The place was
foundered by philan,hropic Span.
lard within the trife of two hundred
years ago, and was restored in 1878.
A liberal bequest OF neighboring
property has always afforded an am
pie revenue for its support, but with.
In short time the government has
converted n portion OF It's property,
and MS one Of the officials for the in
sttution remarked. matters were mot
SO good" In form the hospital Is u
largo quadrangle, centering upon a
chapel. A high wall divides the
wards OF the men and the women.
We entered the male del armrnI fret.
The leading popularity OF the first
patients met lettering In the corridors
was clay-likc appearance of the skin
and depression or caving In OF the
Ilnsal portion Of the iace. The nos.
trils and lobes OF the ear were g0bu-
lar and holes were FOL med over the
eyebrows. The voices Of tho men
were nearly all changed, sounding
in,lisiinct and painful Patients we're
hidden to approach. who hobb!ei 10
us upon the stuinps OF limbs long
since robbed, by the process o: dis
case, of feet and ankles, and they held
out for our inspection miserable rem
nants Of arms, shriveled, warped and
decayed, aud yet these arms found
enough 10 grasp and remove |
hats from matted heads OF hairs when
we rendered few bits OF Spanish
currency.
We saw In these lower corridors
perhaps forty men. Some were new
upon whom the disease had |
put but few marks as yet. Others
were almost ready 10 20 TO the hope.
less ward above, where we presently |
climbed. Hero, upon beds in y |
double row, were the vestiges OF
what had once becl men corpses
which breathed IN speechlcss agony
through the long week. and which
yet chung TO life as though even un-
der these conditions IL was sweet TO
exist. 1attered drapings hing from
these breathing SIX, le,ons, whose
every pose was the altitude OF despair.
No picture OF Dore's Illustrative OF
The Inferno could overdraw a scene
Ike III ENOUGH OF this. II was
the greatest relief that we walked
ncross tho pleasant garden, planted
with bananas and figs, aud entered
The women . ward. under the guild.
,nce of fat but devout Mother Su.
perior. All respect to her and to her
staff Of nuns, who labor here among
The hopeless, pointing their fainting
steps upward ana staying through
the heat Of years 10 alleviate the
suffering Of those with whom they
,re appointed to live. The scenes |
amid the women were but q rrpeii.
lion OF those across the reciangb.
A few were telling their beads, some
sewed aud all were neat In person
and surrounding TO the last degree.
A bright little boy ran toward us
with an orange in either hand. lie
was the pet OF the hospital. His
mother was an inmate far gone with
the disease. lie was not yet old
enough 20 know the fate that awaits
him. What pity this bright little
chap ia not taken as subject for
scientific experiment. Can 1t not be
that there exists some means Of driv-
ing out the venom and building up
the system Ofthe unhappy progeny
L.. Al 4 AT - n n