Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-08-14


seen in the suburbs of Jerusalem and
Damascus scores of those cast out for this
disease and inhabiting caverns ard
! tombs-beaten of the elements, living
on the coin which passersby may fling
to them, while day by day they are rot.
ting alive. Let us thank God that those
smitten with incurable sores i'll the
| Sandwich Islands have homes and
schools and churches and food and
nurses and allcviations and parterres of
sweetest flowers under arches of bluest
skies.
The Story of William Ragsdale, Leper.
No respecter of persons is this phys
ical calamity. William Ragsdale, pop
ular lawyer, was sent there. He was elo.
| quent both i'll Hawaiian and English,
and could make his audiences weep and
laugh and shiver and resolve. He had
| the satire of Junius and the impas
stoned abandon Of an O'Connell. Nc
one suspected he was a leper before the
| day when he sent a letter to the au.
thorities surrendering himself and say
| ing that ON the morrow he would sc
aboard the steamer for MolokGi. He
spent the morning Of the day Of his de.
| pErture i'll riding around to say goodby
to his friends and just before tho hour
of sailing came down to the boat, his
neck adorned with gardenia, aud turned
around and made farewell address,
| closing with the words, "Alcha, may
God bless you, my brothersp Hundreds
of tho people and glee club accom-
| panied him to the boat, and they rent
| the air with lamentations as the boat
swung OF from its moorings. Ho took
| Bible and some lawbooks Nth him
| into his dreadful exile, and til, prayers
! oI churches were offered that E3 might
| have courage and peace i'll the remain
ing days OF his earthly tarryin.;. Queen
| Emma's cousin, Hon. Mr.. Kaco, vas also
sent to Molokai, and there was no pow.
or i'll his royal connection to leep him
outside of that island Mrs. Napela,
of high social circle, had her Cottage Of
enforced exile ON that island Cf sepul-
chers. A legislator Of the Hawaiian Is
| lands is there closing his life. He was
| probably good legislator III the day
Of his health, but cannot help think
ing what a good thing it would he if ali
the leprous legislators of the earth could
be put III some island by themselves.
| Such Punishment would be IA mighty
| thinning out at Albany, Harrisburg and
| Washington legislatures, state and ma
| tional.
the United States government could
afford to provide such a Molokai, and
! the moral lepers sent there could have
| their legislature and congress and board
of aldermen and army and navy all of
the same blotch. But while the Hawai-
ian legislator could be found out and
sent to the SO called isle Of precipices"
the moral leper is not SO easily desig
mated, because he has the blotch not SO
much ON his forehead as Oh his heart.
What every state and nation now needs
is a Molokai, or isle of lepers
Leprosy Diagnosed.
Conversation about leprosy with a
former member Of the board Of health
for the Hawaiian Islands revealed to me
the following facts:
Question-In what part Of the system
does leprosy begin its work?
Answer-It attacks the nerve centers.
Q.-I thought it was disease of the
blood?
A.-No. 1t begins with the nerves,
and just as the girdling of the trunk of
tree first shows its withering results
in the tip end of the long branch of the
tree SO leprosy is first apt to show itself
in the paralysis or doubling mp of the
little finger, or in the toe, or in the lobe
of the ear. Sometimes there appears up
on the body shining surface, and it is
unimpressible. Prick it with a pin, and
there is no sting. All the rest of the
patients body may be i'll pelspiration
but that spot remains dry. Sometimes
all the signs of physical disorder disap-
pear and the disease seems gone Then
there will come a leprous fever, and that
will throw out blush or ef1lorescence
that more emphatically announces the
progress of the disease. Then all signs
of skin disturbance disappear, but after
the following leprous fever the case is
worse than before. So each retreat Of
the disease is followed by more de.
cided advance.
els it painful?
A.-No. That is one Of the mercies,
From the first assault Of the plague to
the hour of death there is an absence Of
physical suffering
Q.-But is there no mental dcpro3.
sion?
A.-Oh, yes! AT the first acquaint-
ance of the fact that the disease is on
him a horrid gloom settles upon the
patient, but after awhile a slight hope
of recovery is born, and the incipient
leper tries all forms of cure, and no
form is so absurd that will not recon-
mend itself as worthy of experiment.
And then all the time the patient thinks
it is something besides leprosy
Q.-When victim of the disease is
first charged with having the plague, !
should think he would resent it?
A.-Yes and the English law makes
it libelous case for the courts If man
is unjustly charged with being leper.
ROordS of health have IN he very care