The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1881-08-26
From the San Francisco Post. July 10.

From the San Francisco Post, July 19.
Last month DR.. James Neyins
Hyde, of Chicago, president of the
American Dermatological Association
addressed DR.. John w. Foye, physi-
clan at the smallpox hospital and
lazar house, in this city, a letter of
inquiry relative to leprosy in Califor-
mia, and especially San Francisco.
DR.. Hyde was particular in taking in
formation relative to the number of
people here afflicted with the disease,
the varieties which prevailed, the rec
ords showing details which might
throw light upon the question of con-
tagion, heridity, length of the disease
in the state, the mode of its termina-
tion, and its chief symptoms. DIR.
Hyde says leprosy has lately attract
ed great attention among the mem
bers of the Dermatologlcal association
and knowing that it prevailed to a
certain extent in this state, they were
anxious to obtain informotion:
In reply DR.. Foye has written a re-
markabIy clear and concise aptr on
the history. with details, of the dis
ease in this state, which was to-day
forwarded to the east. DR.. Foye in
his paper says: Gin regard to the
subject of your inquiry, leprosy, I
shall be but too happy to furnish you
with all the data attainable from our
records; at the same time would re-
mind you of the fact that the subjects
of the disease, with one exception,
have been Mongolians, and unable to
give other than the most meager ac-
count of themselves, and we are often
compelled to rely upon conjecture in
fixing the age of the patient. | find
by reference to the record that the
first leper, Hoy Tong, was admitted
July s, 1871, and that he died on the
29th of September, 1875. Since that
date 81 additional cases have been
received-4S males and three females
making total of 81 cases to ac-
count for. The hospital was design
ed for the treatment of smallpox ex-
clusively, and the leprosic have been
admitted only when found necessary.
to relieve other public institutions, or
perhaps the streets, of their presence.
Three invoices, aggregating As, have
been sent by the authorities to China.
Three have died of the disease, and
one from accidental causes, and one
escaped. One committed suicide,
and one, Caucasian, is still an in
mate. The ages Of the patients have
been:
Between % and as...... g Between 20 and 3d.. .
Between Is and 30 -. 10
"No record has been kept of the
duration OF the disease at the date of
admission, nor of the length of time
the patient had been in the country,
an omission much to be regretted,
and doubtless due to the fact that
their detention here was but tempo
rary and pending shipment. It's not
an assumption to say they were, to
appearance, healthy when they enter
ed the port, the Chinese Six Compa
nies being too leenly awake to their
own,intcrest in importing unproduct-
i've labor, but that they were the
subjects of the disease in its iaeuba-
tion stage at the date of shipment is.
an inference irresistible. The type
of the disease is ar@sthentic, tubercu-
lar, mixed, not given.
accompanying these notes you
win find Photographic group of lep-
ers, IA in number. They comprise
the second shipment made to China,
June 2, 1880. You will also flnd two
cabinet sizes from the same group,
fine specimens of the tubercular type
of the disease just prior to the COM
mencement Of the ulcerative process.
Upon the duration of the disease,
from. personal observation, / can give
NO information, having seen but one
fatal case. In March, 1876, when |
js,ined the hospital, it contained
young Chinamsn, then convalescent