The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1885-11-24
Aaluaiialr 6azettt.
rr,rsn.r- NNYEMRER q lsss.
The MiiAat nsr aaai 81 ConstsntincPls

11.-0 A.. now few Of these establishments
=. srS Il i not too much to say that IN ine
- ,sb;cb | have Just visited human misery
800 10 have attained its highest piion- l
-. ,,1bers Of beings, siglitless, their faces
s;.,or,ed ont of all shape, their hands ana 'oes
100 dronped of, their voice gone, brea.uiu6
In Sesperate effort, their skin Peellng on anu
hl.ck as that Of = mummy, insensiolS 70 pS."
When pricked in certain parts oil tne p9l ~,
Tte;r feei and tanks are covered win hoIiiO'S
80 through which what is lett 10 them o'
i;fs o,,l,s awav. Their attitude is one Of pro.
80 an,tbv and exhaustion, and could MOI
~, lsin-- reminded Of the saying OF the lepeI
~ has,a. ssEpdlcss seem the nights when inc E
mind 4 dwelling upon desperate present anu
Al ma vet amid all these horrible scenes there
i;vej married couples and children, the later
~ whom free from disease. as yet, play aooIt
like other children, regardless OF the speeI.Ao'o
which thew have before them. one oil lhese
v.retcbed men, not more than 30, but among
the most afflicted, has very pretty vic, nuN
/ a child who is fresh and rosy like young Gu
MD A Young fellow Of IS, but who Is 80 ca
dayerous thar he might be 100, mere "a,Alus
oorpse. has a wife fifteen years older IMAM hlul-
self. and herself rayaged by the same aisesse .
This woman was married before, Dut nel MS
husband put her away when he notioou y ny
toms Of leprosy. He married again anu ha y. !
child, which at his death he connce1 " ny
care Of his first wife, who reared ~ Inns su.'J
,rev mn and has himself since married anu
5ad children, all Of them living together IN
this hospital. ,;,.
II is said that the disease is not contagious,
as the Governor, who has been there for forty
wears. las a wife and children who enjoy the
hest Of health The brother of one OF these
lepers. who Is soldier in \ neighboring bar
rack. comes 10 see him whenever he cab gel
leave, and he has not oaughtthe disease, wnile
Dr.. Zambaco comes twice a week and handles
the lepers with impuuity. DR.. imbaco, who
is one Of the leading Greek physicians at Con-
staptinople, is Of the opinion that II IS not AZ
al contagious, aud that, though occasional J
Inherited. /, is more often acquired, the main
cause being privation and want. Among The
| leDers At The Miskin Hane is one who owes
his malady TO having been struck by lightning
while A second became leper after sudder
fright. But in the East the conviction thai
leprosy is contagious still has firm roo:. and
for this reason at Mecca, while the lepers arr
given food and clothing, they never receive
any money. the belief being that 1t woul'
spread the disease when put into circulation
again. So at Scuiari the lepors are literally
enclosed within living tomb, as the Mlski
| Hane is the center Of the vast cemetery II
which so many millions of dead have been 10
tered since Consianiinople was hrs. built. anC
is surrounded 10y the splendid cypress trees
the dark green Of which contrasts so well VIII
the blue outline OF tue sea Of MarmOra and th'
shores Of ASIA Minor in the distance. The
hospital itself is a quadrilateral about l?O fee
long, and with only one story. To the righ
Of The entrance is a small mosque, IN whlci
the lepers recite their five prayers day, thu
being their only distraction. In the center i
the courtyard, upon which open twenty rooms
and ii is in these that tweniy-seVen sufferer
drag on a miserable existence. The rooms ar
lighted with small window, with woodel
bars, while in the way Of furniture there Il
nothing but mattress thrown upon the Sroun'
aud few common utensils. More a9Jec
misery it is impossible to conceive, and II !
made all the more poignant 10y the presence i
the courtyard of tomb erected to leper WI
was said to be saint. This tomb Is coYerei
with knots OF ribbon. placed there by person
who have come TO be cured OF some disease
Behind another lattice in the courtyard is
small griudstone. and the local tradition Il iha
any person who has the courage to join hand
with q female lepef anu sol eie Siiuus'vu0 !
motion without looking at the water as it run
of will have his wish granted, always pro
yidcd that be has deposited a coin on III
stone.
The Miskin Hane Hospital was founded b
the Sultan Seliw, aud for long time it re
ceiyed a Government subsidy Of 20 piastre
per month for each ward, aud at that time thi
sum was sufficient to keep the lepers in com
paraiive comfort. But the grant has not bee
increased, and the value of money is SO muc
less than it was that the patients are in yer
miserable condition. The charity of the pass
ers-by is, therefore, well bestowed, and d
Zambaco is taking steps toward the erectio
a new hospital, in which these unfortunai
beings might be treated with some chance
~ure -. T3lf-B1f oleS I)eB4LS