Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1892-03-05
LEPROSY in CHINA.
whole Districts Infected by the
.. Dread Disease.
For Many Centuries the Colestiafs Have
suspected tho Existence OF BaolII
NO Remedy Hut EScIu-
as. tt.t1. a

curing That time In the service OF the
Chinese government, says writer in
the Scientific American, have often
come upon whole districts and towns
where leprosy was prevalent, and,
speaking and reading Chinese fairly
well, made several inquiries with a
view of ascertaining the native ideas as
to the origin. spread and prevention of
that fearful disease. -'
On one occasion came upon whole
teper colonies at and close to the city
OF Yen Ping, in the province of Flu
CHEN. asked the project of Yen Ping
Flu if he knew anything about the cause
of the disease (which in Chinese is
known as ma feng) and what steps the
local authorities took to prevent the
spread of the disease. He answered me
that very little was known about the
cause, but that leprosy was about as old
as China itself. 1t is, however. probably
caused, he said, by "a small animal,
but so small as to be invisible to the
eye, and on the whole not perceptible
to the senses at all" -."
This struck me at the time as very I'M
teresting, as it proved that the Chinese
had made shrewd guess-ages before
the Civilized west''-at the now so COM
monty discussed bacillus. The project
further said that the general idea was
that the seeds of leprosy entered the
rice through the water in certain local
tiles, and that it was through the food
that Che disease to some extent was
propagated, and of course through &C
tual bodily contagion. There are nu-
merous asylums at Yen Ping Flu for
lr,t oil
about good deal. .IE ...E'r- su
The lepers in the said district were
allowed TO 'intermarry, but no marriage
was allowed between healthy people
md those suffering from leprosy. r
was shown good many young boys
and grown-up girls, several of whom
showed no outward signs of the disease,
and several of whom even were very
Good-loo]iing, but who nevertheless all
OF them had the faint of the disease.
The Chinese claim to be able to recog-
niZe the existence of the disease in such
case, by the peculiar, nearly abpormally
heulthy cciaplexion. %
The Cess at the bacteria is said to
have been made many centuries ago;
many comedies (all, or most, Of which
were exceedingly unlikely have been
proposed from time to time, but the pre-
ct said that really there was no rem.
sly, and only one way iof preventing
he spread of the disease, namely, by
keeping the lepers strictly in their,
aSylums and prohibiting marriages of
lrpcrs altogether, and thus stopping. the
spread OF leprosy by contagion and her
etlity. aH - ..'t 70.
There are many superstttious notions
in existence in China with regard to the
cure Of the disease. Thus o. Chinese
Official told me that many of the natives
thought that q. person snfferipg from
icprosy could be cured by marrying a
healthy person of the opposite sex; and
great cunning has often been used to
conceal the disease, and thus carry out
matrimonial plans Of such kinds, with
a view OF curing either the son or
daughteras the case may be- This, Of
course, proves the ignorance. of the
masses and also how still further, chan
nels are opened for the, propagation of
che disease. On another occasion n
woman offered me and a friend some
peanuts" an official who was travel
ing with us rushed up, Saying only;
"Na Feng, pu, mai" which means,
"Lcprosy, don't buy" which proves
that the Chinese are fully convinced
that the contagion can be communicated
Ivy touching Oh eatiag anything which
has been handled by lepers. and it also
proves the great risk one unl1powingly
runs in. buying fruit or any other kind
o. prod&ee coming from places, where
tcrers arc allowed to go about at large.
Whatever some 'Swestern'' physicians
may say as to the poncortagion. of the
disease, / think no sane person will
deny that the experience gained through
thousands Of years in country like
China must and does. prove something.
especially rs after all most of our pres.
Ent knoHlcdge of medicine is based on
observation and tradition. Besides. the
Fhinese ,cnew the use Of Vaccination as
= preventive against smallpox more
Fian SIX centuries ago; and, although