Sharp County record., 1890-09-04
LEPROSY IN CYPRUS.
An Interesting Medical Report on the
Dread Disease.

There are three different kinds of lep
rosy, but all are merely varieties OF one
morbid condition. The period OF incu
baton of the disease is long and its
progress SLOW In the blood and salivG
of people in this condition microbes are
found similar to those in the sores Of
lepers. These appear to be the chiei
cause of the disease. One report made
by medical officer claimed that mala
ria was a cause of leprosy. This appears
to be refuted by the fact that localities
which are specially free from malariaI
poison may contain lepers, while vii
lage with miasmatic surroundings will
not possess any infected Inhabitants.
Neither do filthy customs appear tc
cause the disease. Two villages neal
each other may be alike in malhygieniC
customs, and one will contain lepers
while the other does not. A want OF
personal cleanliness certainly encour'
ages and aggravates the disease, Some
believe that eating putrid salt pork is a
cause, but leprosy is found amongst peo-
pie who have never tasted pork in any
form, These supposed causes may all
assist the progress of the disease, by re-
ducing the vitality of persons affected.
Hereditary influences are supposed to
be prime causes of loprosy. There ap-
pear to be good reasons for disbclieving
this opinion. First, the disease was un-
known in Cyprus till it was imported by
an infected person; second, in nearly q
hundred cases, the history of which had
been traced, only twenty-three had been
preceded by leprous ancestors third, near
ly all the inmates of the leper asylum
had relatives-many parents having
children-at homo unaffected. There
are also many known cases of children
born Of leprous parents who did not take
the disease. On the other hand there
are many instances on record whore
children have impaired the disease to
parents by contagion. Race appears to
have littlo influence, Moslems and
Christians alike being attacked, but the
latter are moro careless about associat-
ing with lepers, and are oftener in
fcctod.
The chief cause appears to be inoc-
ulation, but the result may bo varied
with constitutions, and the period of de-
velopment is slow. The virus, apparent
ly needs to remain in contact with the
skin some time This appears to be
proved by the fact that, of several peo-
plo who dwell near leper, only one
may be infected.
This disease appears to have been
brought to Cyprus by band of pilgrims
who visited a monastery about three
hundred years ago, From this place 1t
appears to have spread from village to
village throughout the island,
The dread among the people of those
having the disease finally compelled the
lepersG to gathV permanently outside
of thegato of Fhmagosta, as this was a
good place for begging. The disease
thus becoming very dangerous to "a large
number of people, it was decided best to
do away with all the lepers, This oc
cured about the beginning Of the cen
tury. To avert such doom, native
dragoman offered to give farm, with
tho buildings, as homo for them, and
to this place they were all transferred
Becoming dissatisfied with their isolat-
cd life, and not being able to provide
sufficiently for themselves, thoy stole
away, and again began to beg from
place to place, the result being largo
number of now cases of loprosy, At tho
time Of the British occupation OF the
island there woro l5O known cases,
This induced tho authorities to estab-
lish the Lopor Farm and Asylum. The
Government gave each inmate certain
allowance Of bread and two and one-half
copper piastcrs in money each day. A
cemetery was laid out on the farm, thus
further preventing contagion by bury
ing in the villages, After this as lopors
were found they were taken to the farm,
and those who escaped woro always re-
turned as soon as found.
There arc now siXty-throo lepcrs
on tho farm, il(ty-sovon having died
during the last ten years. 1t is osti-
mated that thoro are about thirty cases
on tho island not at the farm; tho whole
number of cases Of lcprosy in Cyprus
does not exceed ono hundred
The only means of oradicatiNg tho
disease is by absolutely isolating all in.
fected cases from sound pooplo, For
this purpose the Government has beon
requested to transfer tho asylum to tho
island OF Clythros, n short distance north
Of Cyprus, London Practitioner