Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-01-11
A LEru CeIexY.

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4 LERER CoLoXY.
The signs of misery which abound in
the lepr0ey colony of New Brunswick
are not surpassed in horror BY those 50
common In the far-o6 islands where the
oontagion Is believed to have originated.
Half q century ago a man named Gar
ainer, a Scotchman, and a resident of
the little tewn of Miramichi, saw q
iawn -c0iored spot on his wife's fore
mead. Anon there were on,inous swell
inRs Is the corner Of hss eye. The
aWn-co!0red spots were doubled and
q9adrupled The husband sought tn
ADVICE Of Dr: Aaeksy, . young medical
graduate. This physician mede a caro-
fu! study Of the disease. Il bafned his
skill. 80 euRroased vas he IN it, study
That b. grew thin and pale. Eleep1eas
nights we're passed. To add 70 his de-
his attention was directed to
second case. The victim was a Mrs.
landry. living seventy-6ve miles from
OF French extraction. she
vas IN no way related to Mn. Gardner.
spots appeafed upon her
body. Her skin became a tranaperent
and a. scaly ~ isingla0. The oontrae-
lion OF the fingers and the ominous
swelling OF the eyee we're there. There
we're the same aches and pains a. in the
case Of Mrs. Gardner. The physician
vas nonplusssd. At the eud Of his
medical Eope, determined to asoertain
The tr1e character of the disease, he
sold his little property and went to Eu-
rope. He travelled through England,
France, and Germany, and cleaned no
information. Acting upon q hint re-
derived in Paris, he passed through
Denmark into Norway. Near the coast,
where the main staple of food Was
dried fish and salt meats, he visited
azaretto. Its inmates wore immured
Tor life. There WAa no installing the
They were suffering from
The same disease a. Mr.. Gardner and
Mrs. Landry. IL was leprosy and was
On his return TO Miami
hi, DR.. Mackey found the scourge eat
ng into the community like q cancer.
PrOmps action was necessary. Mrs.
Gardeners fingers had dropped OF at
he joints, and her akin was dry and
daky. Mrs. Landry was in worse oon-
1itiOn. Her eyesight was gone, and she
exhibited unmistakAble symptoms Of
AN ISOI.ATKD RKYU0E.
The young physician sounded the al
.rm. The interest of the oldest practi-
toners was aroused. Ono Of two scoffed
It tho idea of leprcsy, and a&serted that
he disease would yield to remedies em-
,l0yed in scrOfulous and similar COM
Their experiments, however,
terrified the young doctors discovery.
md the community was thorou xhiy
There were seventy eight Gases
n one section in a year. The Provin-
.ial government was spurred to action
lnder the personal appeals Of the men,
,er from Miramichi. A bill establishing
! lazarettO was passed. Shelldrxke ISL
md, dotting a bay On the northeast
lOast OF the province, was. the spot &C.
ectsd. It was an isolated island, off all
ines of travel. Here buildings were
search for all tainted with leprosy was
made, and they were confined ON this
Stand. Scores Of the unfortunate
vretches were captured. The lazarettO
vas under the charge Of two men. who
eemed to be destitute Of all feeling.
70 care was given the lepers. They
we're mostly ignorant French Caa,adi-
ms, who had eked ont q living by culti-
rating the thin soil and BY fishing.
cleanliness vas not . virtue. They
neither bathed nor dieted. Clean
lnderclothinQ was distributed thrice Q
rear. The most abject and sqnaIid
lever removed their clothing, but drew
he cledn shirts over the old onss ct
ZACH distribution. The sexes were not
separated. The lazarettO vas q virtual
prison for life. Its inmates rotted like
sheep. It was the horror Of
he adjacent parishes.
Occasionally . poor wretch escaped
md appealed to thoss outside for pro-
cotton. Every face was turned from
aim. he desecrated everything that hes
ouched. Even the fence that he leaned
against while telling his pitiful story
vas contaminated. II he drank from q
'pring tho spring was poisoned. II .
,up Of milk was given him the cup was
broken as soon a. drained. A walking
lpas tree, frsiQhting the atmosphere
9TH poison, would not have been ~
al bed with more horror. He was
,itEAx captured or driven back TO the
azSrettO by hunger. WorDe than all
his. lepera, in whom the sseds Of the
disease we're fruotifying, ware concealed
b friends and relatives. The laxaretto
vas regarded more q prison than .
hospital. A commitment dizREaced q
family far more than q commitment 70
he psnitentiary. Fathers and mothers
themselves and their famil-
lee in the effort 70 shield q favoEite son
Or daughter. Il was q diaRxace t. be
hidden, and not to be made public.
OF TIE LAxAR1rTo 10 TRACADIE
The lAzaretto was removed 70 Traoa-
lie, on the bay Of that name, about
l849. Here the treatment of the unfor-
tunates was q little better, but there Was
an utter lack of cleanliness until four
|een years aRO, when the Sisters Of
Mercy took sole charge, They found
he inmates dying In hltb and misery.
rhey inAugurated new treatment. They
lore out the iron bafs from the windows.
The lepers were bathed each day, and
their ulcers wefs carsfHily drc.ssd. The
were Waahed and the clothes
81 the unfortunAtes were kept scrup0-
|oualy neat and clean. They wefe IL
lowed the freedom Of the grounds. The
sexes were separated. Rations of To-
baooo were given 70 the mon. A sail
boat vas booQht and parties Of the
lepers were allowed 10 20 sailing and
Nor vas the body alons enter
Iained. The Sisters administesed %.
he mind. The lspers no longer beoodsd
I1ay and night over their unfortunate
poodition. 6oms Of their numbee
PLAYED the violin. and they danced 70
|ts music. A sure death was thus
robbed Of some Of it, terr0ea. When
The Provinces weee eo0sedeeased IN tAs
Dominion OF Oanada, the laanreeto
passod under the control Of The Federal
Tho Sistefs. however,, 10
mained in charge, reoeiving miserable
pittanoe from tho Government for THAR
|abors. The rlepr Ct The Nv ". soft-
Nd by Father Joseph a. BAbtnsau,
uastor OF the little Catholic Church at
rracadie. When cassa Of leprosy were
h. viGitDd the Afdicted end