The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-08-26
Leprosy and Vaccination.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEWS:
SiR-Your correspondent, Louis j. Wey-
precht, Ina THE News OF July Il. makes men
1n Al ~ an1 conSsies wes sor soe vears
and Is Dow causing the most anxious concern
Ii is generally admitted that leprosy, though
not contagious, in the ordinary acceptance OF
that term, is readily inoculable through
wound or abradod surface, or by vaccination,
and ii has been shown before rhe Royal Com.
m.s,,on that s y prSnc cansf n ss Ss
Nineteenth Century, Dec. 1850, the late sir
Morrell Mackenzfe in an article entitled.
The Dreadful Revival OF Leprosy," after
America, said: I'm almost every other quar-,
ter OF the globe leprosy is rife al present and
wherever IL exists II seems to be slowly but
surely extending its ravages. 1t ~ Impossible
TO estimate even approximately rho total
number OF lepers now dying by inches
throughout the world. but it is certain they
must be counted by millions" Sir Randall
Martin, great authority on leprosy, states:
1.-The dangers to Europeans arise chiefly from
vaccination and from wet-nnrsing. felt that
very early in my career In India. saw an
English lady last year In horrible condition
lshe said from having been vaccinated from
a leprous child" Ieprosy IN British Guiana:
New Orleans, in his report addressed TO the
president OF the board of health for the state
Of Louisiana. Nov. z. 1850 says that: In his
Gruriry Hospital and chief sanitary inspector
of the city, he has had unusual opportunities
for the study of leprosy and, vaccination;
During the past eight years he had observed
over sixty cases OF bona dde leprosy tanaes-
thetic and tubercularl. The disease is slowly
increasing. IL is inoculable and communicable
by vaccination" Surgeon General =. X.
Francis, In the yourna, of the Leprosy Inyes-
tigation Committee, No l, August, 1890. wrote:
u would advocate an Investigation into the
effects OF vaccination, there being some who
are still dubious ON the point, though the
statement made two or three years ago by
Professor Gardner on the subject would
49,
a factor" DIR. Roger q. b. Chew OF Cal
cutta, who has devoted IA years to the study
of leprosy in India and other countries, fur
nishes in his pamphlet on leprosy table OF
the results of his Investigations into the
causation of 1884 cases which have come under
his treatment. OF these. he says, insanitation
and 72 cases are due to other forms of inocula-
ton. DIR. A Mira. chief medical officer,
Kashmir. says. 81 have on three occasions
searched for bacilli In one instance found
them In lymph from a vaccinated leper."
iAmerican Journal OF Medical Sciences, July,
lo9l). Before the select vaccination Parlia-
formely vaccinator-generalo OF Trinidad, said
in repy TO question 1854, "Have you had ex-
perience OF any case in which leprosy has
been introduced by vaccinstionf have seen
several cases in which II seemed to be the
only explanation. 4 have case now under
treatment, OF the son OF gentleman from
India, who has contracted leproSy, both the
parents being of English origin. ] saw the
case of a child Fast year, who, though a creole
of the Island OF Trinidad, is born of English
parents. and is leper. and there is no other
cause 20 which il is attributable Sir Randall
Martin, who is a great authority ON these
points, agreed with me that the leprosy arose
from vaccination"
IL space were allowed, could cite numerous
other Testimonies. Those who wish Go pursue
this inquiry should peruse a volume by Mr..
William Tebb, entitled "The Recrudescence of
don, Swan Sonnenschein a. Co.
Yours faithfully, JAS r. WILLIAMSON.
Ia Clarendon street,
London, N. w.. England, August Is, 1885,