Copiah signal. (Hazlehurst, Miss.) 1888-1899, 1889-09-12
SPREAD oF lEpaos,.


E@eFts a3as - she@A the A~afhsama
Disease Ia Nmraps saa Amsraea.
sinee the death Of Father Damlcn
Of leprosy n the leper colony In the
Sandwich Islands public attention has
heea especially drawn 30 this loath.
some disease. both In Europe and
America IN England the Prince q
Wales has populariked = movement tor
q memorial 10 the martyr who gave up
his life 50 unselhshly 10 suocor bis un-
fortunate fellov-ereatares bat the
Prince has done more than this. he
has unearthed q lepcr In London
among the butchers stalls. and he
has directed scientific inquiry 20 the
number Of lepers In England and the
possibility Of the spread Of the disease
In the uaited Kingdom Almost CO.
Incident with this action was a meet
ing ~ the New York Academy Of
Medicine. n which leprosy. IL. origin.
causes. spread. and the danger that
may lurk Ia Il for this country we're
deliberately discussed. As l. 10 BE-
expected when doctors get together
for a pow pow, there was some dlf.
ference Of opinion upon several Of
these points
All candidiy Acknowledged that the
origin Of the disease IL unknown be-
yond the presence 81 a bacillus. A. Ia
tuberculosis; bat whether this bacillus
produces the disease or Is an incident
Of its progress l. not clear. All agreed
that the disease l. contagious. bat there
was a difference as to whether or DOT
the bacillus lives In aud can be com
muRleatad through soil. water aud air
There was also controversy concerning
the spread Of the disease Ia this eoun-
try. some claiming that Il had largely
increased ~ late. while others held
stoutly that there were not a. many
eases nov A. there had been. Tho
alarming feature ~ the discussion was
the admission that quite a number Of
eases bad been noted In tho vicinity Of
Charlrsioa. New Orleans and San
Francisco, While rco"ntly the ~
volting disease had been un.arthed
In Utah, aud u was not an
unusual occurrence for three
or four leper. 10 make their appear.
aHee annually In New York ho-pital.
II vas conceded that science was az
terly helpless Ia the presence oi this
foul scourge II j. known that IL j.
contagious, and hi. comprises shout
all that IL known about a.
The Academy II Medicine couclud-
ed. ~ Il did ten years ago without
practical result that the National Gov
erumcut should take st.p- while there
was time a. stamp ont the disease.
and this can he done only BY segrevat-
Ing the lepers. The dreadful fate ~
the sand ich Islander vas cited.
l.eprosy l. ~ comparatively recent
origin In those islands. bat owing Ia a
belief that II vas not contagious no
steps we're taken 10 check h. To-day
theru are ii.wo lepers a. Morlachi
and from Eve 90 tea per cent ~ the
native population l. thought ~ be- in-
oculated With the disease. while many
Foreigners have become imprvxna,ed
Like a series 81 fires bursting out Ia
difcrcut spots. II each ~ them b
checked before Il makes any sensible
tnroad> a great ooaaagration can be-
ayerted. bat 10 they are allowed - get
head gay aad united with each other ln
cir destructive work. no Subsequent
Efforts Tor their cKilution will avail
until there i no fael ior them b. feed
upon u the lepyr- said D. b. Co 90.
fcrent parts % the Union "a the num.
her ~ 30 ur more arr segregated from
the healthy lnhahltants by an authority
sith the extensive jurisdiction Of the
National Government IL would b. com
paratitely easy to expcl the di~ga.a
from the country bat Il each 81 the
uniortunates l. allowed 81 form a cen
Ser 81 coutag ion. or there l. no concert
Of action In IL suppression. the iat- ~
the Americans hundred or even afty
years hence might be- similar "a that
~ che Sandwich Islanders Congress
should h. Invoked 10 give early atten-
tioa b. the matter Baltimore Amer.
can.