Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-01-24
LEPeRs' HOSPITAL At scUTARl


Bsines who's Misds Dwell On . Des psrass
Present and Hopeless FUTURE.
Wonstautinople Cor Journal des Dehats1
There are now few Of these establish
menis hospitals for lepers) left and it Is
not too much to say that In the one have
Just visited human misery seems to have
attained its highest pitch l saw mum )ers
Of beings sightlesa, their faces distorted
out of all shape. their hands and toes
having dropped of. their voice gone.
breathing with desperate effort. their skin
peeling or and black IS that Of mummy.
insensible to pain when pricked In Ger.
tain parts of the body. Their feet and
fianks are covered with horrible sores.
through which what is left to them Of
life ebbs away. Their attitude Is one Of
profound apathy and exhaustion. and l
could not help being reminded Of tho
saying of the leper Of Aosta: Endless
seem the nights when the mind Is dwell
ing upon . desperate present and hope,
less future
And yet amid all these horrible scenes
there lived married couples and children.
the latter Of yhom, free from disease -
yet play about like other children. re-
gsrdless Of the spectacle which they ksve
before them One Of these wretched men.
not more than 80. but among the most
afflicted. has very pretty wife and a
child who Is fresh and rosy like young
Cupid Ii Is said that the disease is moi
contagious as the governor. who has been
there forty years. has wife and six chill
dren. who en- Joy the best Of health The
brother Of one Of the lepers. who is sol
ier in q neighboring barracks. comes to
zee him whenever he gets leave. and he
has not caught the disease. while DR.
/ambaco comes twice q week and handles
the lepers with impunity: DR.. /ambaco,
who is one Of " leading Greek physi.
clans at Constanta a6ple. b OF opinion that
occasionally inherited. It Is more often
acquired. the main cause b ling privation
and want
But in the east the conviction that
tsernsy Is contagious still has very firm
-unt, and for this reason at Mecca, while
the lepers are given food and clothing.
heing that It would spread the disease
Scutari the lepers are literally inclosed
within living tomb. a. the Miskin Hane
is the center of the vast cemetery In which
50 many millions of dead have been in.
TERED since COnstant:nople was first built,
and is surrounded by the splendid cypress
trees. the dark green Of which contrasts
so well with the blue outline of the sea Of
Marmora and the shores Of Asia Minor In
the distance The hospital itself is quad
rilateral. about l20 feet long, and with
only one story. To the right Of the en-
tranc is . small mosque. in which the
lepers recite their five pray ers . day. this
being their only distraction
In the center Is the courtyard. upon
which open twenty rooms and 1t Is in
these that twenty seven su 'erers drag on
Q miserable existence Their rooms are
lighted with small window, with wooden
bars. while in the way of furniture there
is nothing but mattress thrown upon the
ground and q few common utensils
More abject miscry II is impossible tn con-
ceive, and II is made all the more poignant
by the presence in the courtyard Of .
tomb erected to leper who was said to
be . saint This tomb Is covered with
knots of ribbon placed there by persons
who have come to be cured Of some dis
ease Behind another lattice in the court
yard Is small grinding stone. and the
local tradition is that any person who has
The courage to Join hands with female
Ieper and set the grinding stone in motion
without looking at the water as II runs oil
will have his wish granted. always pro
ided that he has first deposited q coin on
the stone.