Morning journal and courier., 1893-10-11
LEPRoSY INDIA.

The British Commission Fines No
 Evidence That It is Contagious or
 Hereditary, or that It's Increase Is a
 WaIter for Alarm.
 A great amount nt new information, full of striking facts and conclusions sbCut the strange, dread disease of leprosy has been published in Calcutta in sptci.l report by the Indian government. IL is the result of some aix months' thorough investigation of the subject throughout the Indian empire by a special commission, composed of med icsl men of the highest scientific skill and special fitness for the work For come yesrs past reports have been circulated in India snd Great Britain of An alarming prevalence and recent great incresRs of leprosy In India, aud sbOuta year ago these reports eDgendered qnite a scare, which re- suited in the appointment Of 8 commission to investigate the whole ieprosy question with the greste-t thnroughness. Three commissioners were appointed in England, one each hy the College cf Phys!cisrE the College of Surgeons and the National Lsprosy fund, and two commissioners were appointed for the Indian government. All the members were especially qualified for the work, the two appointed Tn India be ing surgeon majors In the Indian medical eerviee, of wide experience with the disease in It's home.
 The commission spent five months in trs- yelling to su parts ot the country, visiting ssylums, examing lspers, and Investigating social, sanitary and climatic conditions. Some 2. 500 lepers were personally exam ined. Afterwsrd the commissioners met st Simla and conducted a lopg series of pathological and bSc;eTiolugical researches. Every civil surgeon and every medical man who could contribute any to the inYestiga- ton throughout all India did go through Hat of questions sent out by the surgeon general. and thus the inquiry vas made re- markedly complete, snd the best possible basis afforded for the formation of 1conciu- sions by the experts.
 In the first place the commissioners found that the reports of sn alarming in- crease of leprosy in British India were rot true. The igures of the report suggested a decrease rather thsn s2 increase, propoF- | tionRte to population In round numbers, taking the figures of three eensuses, the | number of lspers has changed from 100, coo | In 1871 to 105, GOO in 1891, the ratio being about per 10, 900 of population, in the areas enumerated, for zach census.
 The commission insists upon tke etiolo- | gieal identity of the disease manifested in | It's various tuberculosis and CT so stheto | forma-that all the varieties of leprosy originate in the same causes. Of 2,3l3 cases examined, 5G 6 per cent, were Arns- thetic, l2.2 psr cent. tuberculous, and 3I 0 | Der cent mixed cases. In over 43 per | cent. of all the cases examined the dlreAse first manifested itself h early adult life. | As regards the geographical distrit ution | of leprosy ths census returns aud the com | mision's investigations agree that, contrary Il to a wide belief, the sea coast, riparian | areas, or large valleys gre not more affect ed than other districts. There is some con- | uection, accidental or otherwise bet~esn
 the danpness of climate and the preysl-
 ence of leprosy and 1t appears that in those | areas where cholera is endemic lsprosy is
 especially prevalent There is also evidence
 that leprosy Is most prevalent in the most
 poverty stricken areas. In fact, while the
 origin and spread of ieprosy Is still very
 much of A mystery, the investigations hay
 ing disprovsd many time-honored thsories
 while not establishing many new onts ss a
 positive nature, the commission is well
 agreed that poor sanitary conditions, bsd
 social surroundings, defective and bad
 distio conditions and uncleanness general
 ly are important fsotors in the causation
 of leprosy. They tell the cid story, thu;
 dirt is disease and cleanliness health,
 whether 1t is lsprosy, cholera or any other
 dread plague that isinvestigsted. is The ma
 tive population Is most prone to lsprosy,
 and the unmiXed European the lsA.t, and
 this difference is attributed to scclAl Iathe, than racial conditions
 It has been generally stated. and uidel, accepted, that vaccination has hslp tS spread rather than to prevent leprosy, snS there was st one time great opposition i, Great Britain and India to the practice