New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-07-30
LEPROSY " NEN- YOEF.

The announcement of Il case OF genuine
! lepl,>y IN this city is 50 novel a, b. command
deep and general interest. 1t should scarcely
hc regarded ~ startling. however; certainly
not a. alarming. A>Surody it j. not agreeable
TO be brought face to face at arms reach with
my,tcriou, and fatal plague which we have
| hthcIto heard Of only among rcmot" and alien
| peoples. stories OF lcpru>y IN til" Orient. ana
! mixtures. only too true. of the nam"lcSs horrors
IF MoloSai have powerfully affected Am"ri-
! cans and wrought upon their pity and charity.
Bat a lcper in the heart of NcwYorll is iay
different matter and one that rouSes feelings
Of another kind. The unknown character OF
the disease. it> almost sricly fatal results. the
protrlGad suffering, and understandable dStig
urcmcnts which attend it, the Biblical and
other legends that portray IT, lIlS-thcse cIr-
cumstluccS all invest lopro,y with hoIrof that
40 other plague possesses, Yet the simple
truth j, that case Of lcprOSy j. not nearly so
much a menace 10 the health of the community
rs a case Of dlphthcrla or typhoid fever or any
one of "A dozen diseases of common occur
renee of which we daily hear without tcmor
For while lcpro>y can be- caught by on" person
from another, al certain stages OF it. pr gre'~'
= !, not intensely contagious, and any such
rhlng q, an epidemic OF it is altogether I'm
possible
An interesting contribution t. th" bihhogr-
uhv IF ih, disease has recently been made hy
Ill, William Moore. whose observation Of II IN
tbo Last has been extensive and thorough. IL"
d>cr,d.ts most of the theorl", that have been
advanced regarding it, nature That it is not
,f mllaral origin he contends on the ground
.Vl i,h on
,.rclv free from any form Of So-caIcd malaria.
Nor is it caused by defective sanitation. since
II occur, among the inhabitants of the cl"Inc't
and br>t-dJamcd quarters. That lack oi SAT-
docs not induce II is seen in the fact that 1t
prcyail, in the half-dc>oft regions of India,
where salt is most abundant; and tn" fish diet
theory i, similarly disposed OF. lua>much ~
many cpcl, are found in communities Whcro
fish food is unknown. Sir William does not
himself formulate any new theory, bur lncIincS
strongly 10 the long held belief that the dis
oa,r is due 10 specific blood poison which may
lac transmitted from person Ia person by direct
contact. but which is generally inherited. While
hi, discussion Of the malady throws no impor-
t,ut new light upon it, il at least turns off some
false light, and assists toward better know-
humanity.
That cprosy is 50 little understood is due
doubtless in great part 10 the slight chance to
study il that has been granted t. the medical
world II ha, claimed is myrladS of victims
in llr Far Last and in the islands of the sea,
among peoples whose knowledge of medicine
and surgery is OF the most rudimcntary de
scription There have been numerous cases
of it also in Scandinavia. and some in parts
Of the United states but even these have not
come under the observation of the best medical
science to any such degree as have most other
diseases Had it been otherwise, had the med
ical faculties of Europe and America had the
same intimate and constant contact with
lcpro>y That they have had with other dis
eases, they would probably ere this have dis
covered some effective means of combating ITS
rayagcS, and thus have Shorn IL of It's unnatu-
raj tclrorS The public may, therefore, regard
the present case in this city without the slight
est apprehension and may even hope that out
of this lncXprc>Sibly sad anliction some good
may come in the increase Of our doctors knoWl-
edge of this dreadful maady