Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-08-18

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of sailing came down to the boat, his
neck adorned with gardenia. and turned
around and made d farewell address.
closing with the words, Aloha, may
God bless you. my brothers" Hundreds
of the people aud a glee club accom-
panied him to the boat. and they rent
the air with lamentations as the boat
swung off from its mooriags. He took
q Bible and some lawboolzs with him
into his dreadful exile. and tho prayers
of churches were offered that he might
have courage and peace in the remain-
ing days of his earthly tarrying. Queen
Emma's cousin. Hen. Mr.. Kaco. was also
sent to Molokai, and there was no pow
er in his royal connection to keep him
outside of that island. Mrs Napela,
of high social circle, had her cottage of
enforced exile on that island of sepui-
cheers. A legislator of the Hawaiian Is
lands is there closing hts life. Ho was
probably good legislator in the day
of his health, but cannot help think
ing what good thing it would be if NIL
the leprous Legislators of the earth could
be put in some island by themselves.
Such Punishment would DO mighty
thinning out at Albany. Harrisburg and
Washington legislatures, state and ma
tional
The United States government could
afford to provide such Mo,okai, 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 tho 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 ON his heart.
What every state and nation now needs
is 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 mo
the following facts:
Question-In what part of the system
does leprosy begin its work?
Answer-It attacks the nerve centers.
Oil thought it was disease of tho
blood?
A.-No. 1t begins with the nerves.
and just as the girdling of the trunk of
a tree first shows its whitening 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 up of the
little finger, or in the toe, or in the Lobe
of tho ear. Sometimes there appears mp
on the body shining surface, and it is
unimpressible. Prick it with pin, and
there is no sting. All the rest of the
patients body may be III perspiration,
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 effiorescence
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 a more de-
cided advance.
OILS 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 depres-
sion?
A-Oh. yes! At the first acquaint-
ance OF the fact that the disease is on
him horrid gloom settles upon the
patient, but after awhile 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 a 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 a man
is unjustly charged with being leper
Boards OF health have to be very care
full in the work of segregation.
No Cure Now Known For the Plague.
Q.-Are there amy cases Of curcs
A.-The only cases / recall are those
mentioned in the Bible-Naaman the
Syrian hero, and the 10 cases that Christ
cured, nine Of them too mean to ae-
knowledge the divine medicament.
Q.-What in ordinary cases is the
velocity of the disease and how long
before 1t completes its work?
A-Well. have known one case to
last is years. | think the usual durance
is five or six years.
Q.-Has the leprosy different modes
in demonstrating itself?
Alt has. The tuberculous and the
The former is most repul-
sive. 1t swells and bloats and distorts
the face. The last sign Of humanity is
blotted from she countenance. Thcre
are cases of this kind called '.leonine,
for the reason that the face is SO Wild
ened and enlarged and made severe that
the countenance looks like lion. The
an@sthetic form is whitening, thin
ming out, wasting away, depletion,
skeletonizing process.
Q.--Is it contagious?
A.-Therc are different opinions
about that. have seen in married life
the husband or wife leper for years
and the partner in life always in good
health. have known leprous parent
to have healthy child. ! was talking
ON this subject with an eminent physi-
clan, who said to me: ''Do you see those
two children playing together? The one
is leper and the other my own child,
and / have no fear about contamina-
tion. y
Q.-How many patients are there in
Molokai at the present time?
About 1000.
Here ended my conversation with the
of the Sandwich Islands. Up to date
the woe goes ON. Only two weeks ago q
ship took % more lepers to Molokai.
The scene of par ing is said to be so
heartrending that but few people go to
the wharf to witness it. The wailing
and bowling at the parting Of families
as the filial and fraternal and paternal
and maternal bonds are broken il some
thing that haunts the memory. Not long
ago q young man sentenced to the leper
island declared he would not be taken
alive. He shot three Of those who were
attempting to segregate him and then
hid in hut until a.cannon ON neigh
boring hill bonbarsled the hut into a
wreck. Then a relative went to the hut
and found the young man dead.
But do not let us give up discouraged
Leprosy as well as cancer and all the
other unconquered ailments will yet be