The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1890-12-26
tePeR MARRIAGES IN VENEZUELA.
The Children of Lepers May BE Entirely
Free from the Disease.


The Children of Lepers May BE Entirely
Free from the Disease.
The report ON leprosy in Venezuela
made to the state department by Il.
Plumacher consul mt Maracaibo, de-
scribes at considerable length the in
PRODUCTION of the scourge in 1926, when
q sufferer from Santo Domingo landed
at Maracaibo and spread the infection.
In the course of three years the evil
had attained such proportions that an
island about four miles distance from
the city was set apart for the isolation
of incurables.
1t was not until 1876, however, that
a charitable work among these exiles
was undertaken by number OF good
women in Maracaibo. Their efforts in
the way of better buildings, social OBJ
servances and care have been SO sue
cessful as to have attracted wide atten-
ton, and this lazaretto bids fair to be-
come the place of seclusion for the
whole of Venezuela.
There are now about 125 patients on
the islands Water works have been
constructed, and abundant supply Sc
cures cleanliness of persons and quar-
tiers and the irrigation of the ground
devoted to agriculture. The diet is
wholesome and abundant, and the av-
erage cost of the maintenance of each
person amounts to about $13 in Amer
lean money monthly.
A comfortable building has been
erected for the use of the employees,
while for the patients a large edifice
built of concrete, forming PARALLEL
gram, with courtyard in the center,
is divided into separate apartments,
plainly bat sufficiently furnished. A
neat chapel has been built, where every
Sunday religious service is held and the
sacraments administered to those who
may so desire. A pleasant feature is
the establishment of cottages, with
grounds attached, in which reside those
patients whose means permit it. Land
is given free to any one who is able to
erect a dwelling, and as there are quite
number who possess regular incomes
little homesteads are soon formed, Civ
ing the island cheerful aspect.
: 1t was ut first a much mooted point
as to whether marriages should be
permitted among the patients. 1t has
always been well understood that a
union between q sound and diseased
person would be liable to result in the
propagation of diseased offspring, but
it was believed that marriage between
two undoubted lepers was sure to be
fruitless. So, after a long discussion,
permission was given, and a number of
weddings were celebrated.
For years the theory of sterility was
not contradicted by experience, and
seemed to be about definitely settled,
when two births occurred on the island,
the parents in each case being lepers.
Neither of the children has as yet shown
symptoms of the disease, and one of
them who had reached the age of IA
years, having passed his whole life on
the island with his leprous parents, was
allowed to return to society, after hav-
ing been formally pronounced clean by
board of competent experts.
This is but one instance of the puz-
cling character of the disease. The
general effect of these marriages seems
to have been to induce moro cheerful
ness and resignation, and to add great
ly to the good discipline of the estab-
lishment. Although marriages would
not be allowed between n sound and
diseased person yet in the case of the
development of leprosy in one of a
couple after marriage the sound con-
sort is permitted to accompany the
other to the lazaretto, and this has oc-
CURED in many instances. Cor. Pitts
burg Dispatch.