Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1889-09-21
R IN AMERICA


United states
The heroic life and death l Fa'ner
Damien have recently called the pain,
full attention OF the whole ciVlIl1eu
world to the horrible disease oil leprosy'
and now the subject is presented anew
but in a scientific light, by Dr. Frihce
A. Morrow. in an address before the
Academy of Medicine of this city, CIV
ing the results of his observations IN
Mexico and tho Sandwich Islands
Leprosy is commonly looked on as OF
historical interest almost wholly, or a'
least, as a disease practically eXllnetso
far as civilized countries are concerhoui
and yet it is still a living reality IN
fourth of the globe, includingthl couh-
try, in which it is slowly gaining ground
During tho last winter DR.. Morrow VS.
tied two leprous centers in the lecho
river district of Louisiana, at St Mar
tinsville and at Bayou Lafourche' ana
learned of the existence OF scattering
cases along the line OF the Southern
Pacific railroad. He also saw cases III
the San Pablo hospital OF MeNlco
and in the streets of the city. lhere
were six in the p~esthouses of San Fran
cisco, and he received reports OF twen-
ty in all in California. In the Sand
wich islands, though leprosy is OF COM
paratively recent introduction only
there are l, 100 lepers at Malokal.
The slow spread of the disease in the
Sandwich Islands is referred to by DR..
Morrow as a warning for this country
For twenty years after the first case
was identified leprosy did not increase
fast enough to attract the attention OF
the health authorities, and when at last
they began to understand the peril the
horrible malady had gained such head
way that they found it impossible to
arrest its progress even by the most
rigid system OF segregation; and since
then it has continued to spread until
now it threatens the ultimate cNtlnc-
ton of the Hawaiian race.
The introduction OF leprosy into our
own country is traced by DIR. Morrow
to four separate and distinct sources,
1t was carried into louisiana by the
A~cadians, into the Northwestern States
by Scandinavians, along the Pacific
coast by Cinnamon, and o%migrants from
the West Indies brought it TO the south
ern Atlantic coast. Forty-two cases
were recently reported at New Orleans
and one hundred at Key West, while nu-
merous other concealed cases are sus-
pected as existing in different parts OF
the Union. DR.. Morrow therefore re-
CARDS the extensive spread of leprosy
in this country as Il possibility strong
enough to require the adoption Of leg
~islative measures for the isolation OF
every leper and to prevent the immi-
grafton from foreign countries of those
who have in their systems the seeds OF
the frightful and so far incurablo NAL
ady.
Contrary to the opinion of many for
eign physicians of eminenco he main
tains, from his personal observation OF
loprosy in the Sandwich Islands, that
there is ''the most abundant and con
elusive proof of lis eminent contagious,
ness If that is the case of course cy-
cry lcpor is dangerous. Nor is it safe
to assume that the suscopti' ility to lep'
rosy is extinguished by civilization. As
DR., Morrow says, the spread OF leprosy
in the Sandwich Islands has been coin.
cident with an advanced civilization o
the natives. N. Y. Star.