The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1889-03-26
FACTS ABOUT LEPROSY.
"A Chicago Physician Gives an Interestina
Outline OF the Disease.

outline OF the Disease.
"Leprosy," said the doctor, ais
roughly Invisible into two great types;
tubercular or black and anasthetic
Or white In the first spots of pale
red or dark brown color appear on the
back. hands, feet, palms, soics. fore
head and checks. The face first be-
comes livid, then swollen and dis
colored. The white lcprosy is char
acterized b. watcr-bliaters. at fin st,
which break ana leave whitish scar.
The sea-! is first the seat of singing
pain. aftcrw&"d succeeded BY complete
loss of feeling. The disease lasts a
long time aid the patient dies in the
white form from simple exhaustion;
in the black death is usually caused
by bloOd-poisoning. The disease is
due to "a baciiii. or minute. fat. needle
like germ. This ulust find its way
into a cut sur!;,c.. 30 become conta-
giOus. The disease. hence. spreads
slowly.
''Lepr0Sy has a;va=s existed in the
United States since thc Louisiana pur
chase. 1t did not spread much after
the war. The Creole, gave it to their
negroes. Several cases recently re-
ported from Louisiana occurred among
persons of Irish birth or descent. The
Chinese and Inc Scandjnayians, and,
perhaps. the Sandwich Islanders, are
the chief sources OF leprosy in the
nj +af.
it to New York and California and
through the practice Of OpbIm-smok-
ing introduced by them caused several
cases of infection among the whites
who had sore mouths. In the Sand
witch Islands the lerers are all isolated
on one island. A seIf-sacrifcing,
heroic Jesuit, who went to this island,
has become infected in consequence Of
his heroic philanthropy. The Scandi-
navian eases reported from Iowa and
Minnesota have not infected any per-
son rs yet. The leper colony at Ira
cadie in the Dominion Of Canada has
not spread the disease. which has ex-
listed there for more than 81 century.
There is no law in Illinois specific
ally requiring the report of this
disease, although the ordinary con-
tagiOuS disease Law has been construed
into requiring its report in Phila-
delphia and -. Louis. The disease is
easily kept in cheek by requiring the
isolation of each ease. The importa-
ton of these eases should be pre-
vented. and the disease should BIO
added TO those requiring special re-
port. Most reputable physicians
would report such cases anyway. but
the cure-all qugcks won't. Chabl-
moogra oil and strychnine give good
results in treatment.
''All Scandinavians coming from GER
tain districts in Norway and Sweden
should be carefully inspected on land
Ing in America, since. as Daniellsea and !
BOeck, the great Norwegian author |
tiles on leproSy. have said. the disease |
can be made harmless only by isola- |
ton The Chinese are. however,
much more liable to spread the disease |
than the Scandinavians, who become !
excellent American citizens in a very |
short time. since their institutions and |
modes of thought are very like those
of the United States. Tho ready as
similatiOn OF the Scandinavian is not |
surprising, considering the fact that
there Is an enormous admixture of
blood in the Anglo
who practically rule the
United States. The law-abiding Scan
dinavian will readily submit to re-
straint. but tie Opium-smoking Mon
golian won't, and from them will come
the danger. ~ Chicago Neps.