Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1882-12-23
LEPROSY dG4LN

convincing proof OF the propagation of the dis.
ease by other means than that Of heridity. Not
being indigenous, II its propagation were to be
ascribed to heredity and not to contagion, il
would be natural to look for its greatest devel.
opment among aliens and their descendants,
whether Of purely foreign or Of mixed blood,
and not among those Of purely Hawaiian stock.
Facts, however, are notoriousy at variance
with such supposition, while white blood and
foreign habits Of life seem to afford compare.
lively marked immunity from the disease
Such a fact we believe to be best explained by
the instructive fear of contagion which pos.
sesses the foreign community and their conse.
quent avoidance Of proximity and contact with
persons who are diseased. 1t is noticeable
also, as has been mentioned in our columns be-
ably put down to coincidence, that leprosy
prevails most where it is least dreaded. And
just here, let us say TO such as may have been
impressed by authoritative utterances outside
the doctrine of non -contagion, that the ex-
perience of the disease in the Hawaiian Is
lands affords direct contradiction 10 the opin-
ion offered some years since by the College of
as existent in 1ndia-that "it would disappear
from India as it had done from Europe, as
civilization advanced and better hygienic con.
ditions began to prevail" II is certain that
lFIx nIt
pie for many years past, and that better by.
gienic conditions prevail to-day than was the
case ten years since; but there has been no
corresponding dimunition Of eprosy here that
would support the opinion Of the English Col.
lege of Physicians, as applied to India. On
| the contrary, the disease here has been increas.
ing with rapid strides and the native popnla.
ton to-day present, according to the best au.
thority we can find, proportion of lepers as
one to twenty-five or thirty, whereas but ten or
twelve years ago the proportion stood, accord.
ing to the largest estimates, as not more than
one to hity-about the same as that which ex-
lists, according to the London Laneef, in the
populations of Norway, Iceland and the Farce
lslrnds
With the people Of these places, as with the
liawaiians there exists little or no dread Of the
disease. Especially is this the case in Nor
way, where leprosy is popularity supposed to
be dependent upon the necessitoususe of un.
wholesome food, and particularly Of dried or de-
composing FISH, by the poorer class of inhabi.
tants living along the sea coasts
Assuming, however, as we have doue, that
leprosy is contagious disease, it may not be
out of place to consider some of the most
probable means by which i, may be conveyed
Dr. Sake, of California, thinks the disease sis
inoculable in every way by which disease can
be inoculated." Professor White, before re-.
ferred to in the columns of this paper, ac.
counts for the rapid spread of leprosy among
the Hawaiian people by the prevalence of
such practices as common among Hawaiians)
'the crowding together of large families in
small hu,s, sharing the same mats and blankets,
eating foi with the fingers from the same Gala.
bash passing the pipe from mouth to
mouth, the absence of all fear Of the disease as
bar to ordinary association, cohabitation or
marriage" And, il it is inoculable as is syph.
Ills, we might add, it may be communicated
not only by actual contact with the diseased or
by the means referred to, but by the handling
of money, by means of drinking tumblers, by
towels, or other articles of common use which
may have been previously handled by those
who are diseased.
Sperino, good authority, mentions the fact
that the poison n syphilis may retain its vi
iality over period Of many months after ex-
traction from the body, Notwithstanding its ex.
posure to the air.
The communication of syphilis by vaccina.
tion, in many instances, is fact well estab-
lished, and it is not unlikely that leprosy also
has, oitentimes, been transmitted from the
diseased to the healthy in this way. Well
authenticated cases have occurred where pri.
mary syphilis has been inocula,ed by the bites
OF ileas and il is possible, il no, probable, that
leprosy may oftenimes be communicated by
the like means. And, il communicable by
the bites of fleas, Why not by the insertion Of
the deeper probe Of the mosquito also'
The disease known as elephan,iasis laya6;co,
is supposed to be due to the presence in the
blood Of microscopic entozoa, scientifically
designated fia,ia heminiS, the germs of which
are carried by mosquitoes. This is disease so
similar in some respects to leprosy that they
bear common generic name.
Considering, then, the various means by
which leprosy may be communicated. and how
little care has been taken to properly isolate
the diseased, it is no wonder /, has spread as II
has In this regard the Government has been
highly eulpabe; especially mus, such appear
TO be the fact when We consider that such