The Red Cloud chief., 1884-04-25
Lepers and Leprosy.

From time to time through several
years, the Chronicle has warned the
health authorities of this city that
there is a constant increase OF leprosy
here. and we now more earnestly than
ever repeat the warn ne. Every physi-
clan of considerable experience in the
city viii confirm the statement. The
%pesthOuse a few years ago contained
but two or three cases. 1t o has
ten. These are not dangerous to the
healthy, hut they are. in all probabil-
ity, only a small part of the whole
number Of the infected among lis.
There are two sources of supply
Chinatown and the Hawaiian islands.
1t is impossible to penetrate the
hideOus secrets of the Chinese quarter,
most of which are underground and
as difficult to get at as the end oil a rat
hole. Even TIL police, from 4 motive
of self-preservatiOn. avoid these dens
of rotten infection and living death.
But once in a while there escapes into
the streets a leper from his close con-
finemept in spite of the vigilance of
the agents of the Six Companies, to be
seized by the police and hustled off to
the leper quarter. There does not ap-
pear to be any legal provision for get
ting rid of thes, confined lepers. and
the city is taxed for the. r care and SUBJ
sistence. In the absence of any treaty
stipulation on the sub .ect. Congress
should pass q law TO have them re-
turned to China at the exp nse of the
Federal Government, since it is no
fault of the State or the city that they
are here, but the fault of an oversight
on the part of the United States in
making and confirming treat es.
The least danger, however, to the
healthy people of San Francisco on ac-
count of leprosy is tn It from the Chi
nese. which race keeps itself secluded
from such close contact with the whites
rs is supposed to be most favorable to
the transmission of the disease. Many
families use Chinese servant in their
houses, but they sleep at the Chinese
quarters and eat by themselves. They
do not frequent the hotels. or churches,
or theaters. The greatest peril is from
Hawaii, where the climate and habits
OF the people are most favorable to the
propagation of the plague. In January.
1888. the Honolulu Ga-ette made the
startling statement that ION a moderate
e>timate'' there were then "1.5O0 to
1000 leners in the islands. Twenty
five year, before then. according to the
same payer. there were not one hun
d:ed lepers in the country" This state
ment of in 'rease is not exaggerated,
but by other testimony from Hawaii.
ra'her under the mark. And though
there is a lepcr colony at MolOkai,
where many in the last stages are con-
fixed for life. there are hundreds of
others in the first and second stages left
running at large in Honolulu and all
other towns. where contact with whites
is daily, hourly. close and unavoidable.
1t is indiSputable that the disease is
eOntag OuS-aS much so. under certain
conditions. rs the smallpox. The fact
that the infested arc in all countries
Sc yrega,ed from the healthy is an adj
mission of its infections. Every year
are growing closer and closer. They
are now almost rs intimate as those be-
tween here and Oregon. Every steamer
from Honolulu b.ings its liv ne
freight of pass myers, and it is hardly
eNEavagant to say that every n
brings or is liable to bring the fresh
seeds of lepro>y; not natives; but
writes; not in the last or most abhOr-
rent stages. but in the first. when the
disease is only detachable by an exper-
fenced physician. These find their
ways into society here: into the
churches. the theaters. the hotels,
where the seats, the beds. the atmOs-
phere of rooms and the very food and
drink used by the healthy are infected.
A short time ago a CaSe of well-devel-
Oped leproSy was discovered in a photo
graph gallery on Third street. The
v .ctim was a clerk. who had taken the
plague at Honolulu. but did not suffer
pain from it till after he arrived here.
Another case was recorded in
this paper of a young woman
from Honolulu. who took the disease
q year after her arrival here. Some
times the leper in the islands is given
choice OF MOiokai or emigration. They
always emigrate. and always to this
city. A year ago the Chronicle noted
that Several such are now residing
here. among them young ladies'" And
in the same paper it was mentioned that
"a middle-aged man went from he. TO
Massachusetts,. where the nature of his
di ease was soon suspected" and he
was Isolated from socie Y. Cases like
these are becoming more and more fire.
quent. 1t is bel eyed that there are now
more white persons injected with lep-
rosy at large in his city than Chinese
and all others in the pest-house. They
move about in society; they eat and
sleep ut the hotels; ride in the street
cars. AMI. of course, are planting the
germs of the infection broadcast among
the healthy.
Ii is the reverse of pleasant to pub
lish these things; but it is better to do
that now, when it is still possible to
stamp out the evil before it gives us the
reputation Of a leprous city. than to be
silent about it. The increase from 100
to 1000 on the islands in the course of
twenty-five years nd nOnishes us of
what we are to expect if the health ALL
thorities do not take the matter more
vigorously in hand now, in the inspec-
ton of Honolulu vessels and passen-
gers arriving here.-Sa" francisco
Chronicle.
Confidence Games.
Hardly a day Masses hut from one to