The Portland daily press., 1896-08-01
THE STUDY OF LEPROSY.
What is Known Of the Origin of the
Disease


(Pittsburg Dispatch.
I,eurosv. in certain parts OF the earth
where it is prevalent, has greater terrors
for the natives than any other disease to
which they may be subjected. 1t is but
natural therefore, that the people of
countries who do not come in contact
with the terror should be curious to
know more of its pathology and history,
The Rev. j. Edkins, D. D., the most
distinguished sinologue now J, wing and
one of the most eminent authorities on
the history of China, has written instruc-
lively of leprosy. In Chinese, one of the
first references to leprosy, he says, is iu
the "Wars of the ConteDding States. - A
passage in that history says Yu Jang
painted his body with yarnish to repre-
sent q leper, and removed his beard and
eyebrows, Furnishing himself in .this way
to change his appearance.
This ne did to disguise himself with a
view to facilitate his assassination of an
enemy who had killed his feHdal chief,
ruler Of Tsin. The enemy was T'sau
Slang Isl, ruler of the T'sau feudal
Stats, not T'sau- chowfu, where Shan
tung borders ON Honan.
In the pei Wetn Yum Fu'' is this pas
sage, followed by ono form the Ii XII.
In the calendar of the seasons contained
in this work. it is said: "If in the mid
die month of winter the proceedings Uf
Government proper to spring were OBJ
served, loousts would appear and work
harm. springs would all become dry, and
many of the people would suffer from
itch and leprosy." This calendar con-
tains no small amount of superstition
on the subject Of luck. 1t says if the pro-
oeedings of Government are not regulated
by the calendar alb sorts of physical evils
will ensue. These evils are stated month
by month. Such was Chinese supersti-
ton when that work WAS written.
=. But when WAS that?
The month meant was Decem Der, for it
said that the shortest day in the year
came in the same month. The writer
regarded this class of disease as abound
ing specially at that time. This calendar
is also found in the Ch'un T'sieu Of Lu
Pu Wei whose work dates from the third
century before Christ. But the commits
sion of learned men who wrote for Lu Pu
vi use Chow phraseology and Chow doc
unaents, as in the way they speak of the
feudal barons, who must have still been
in existence. The calendar may be re-
garded very much as Chew dynasty
production. 1t recognizes the emperors
of antiquity. 1t speaks of the empire as
consisting of nine provinces. Further,
this ancient fragment gives the place of
the meridian stars at an interval of fif-
teen degrees of the point where they are
stated to have been observed by the an
uient astronomers.
For instance. in the ''Shu King" HUI,
q star in Aquarius, is said to have been
the meridian star at twilight in Septem-
Der. In the Yue Ling it is the meridian
star at evening in October. But the stars
move at the rate of fifty seconds in a
year, or degree in seventy-two years.
They move, therefore, fifteen degrees
In !. 0so years. and this position of the
star HUI in October agrees with the age
OF the commencement of the Chow dy
naety, or about 100 B. G.
Consequently, this testimony in regard
TO isprosy may possibly go back as far as
the time of Chow Kung. Yet, while the
astronomy is that of the date named,
the hook as whole is more likely to
belong to an age some centuries later,
because the five emperors are mentioned
rs being worshiped, and the mythology
h-- of 6oi hat 0f
about the ninth century before Christ.
1 may then at least say that leprosy was
preaahly known in China in the age of
the Later classics, two or three centuries
before Copfucius, and was dreaded as
calamity SAINT to punish moral evil.
n the Shi Xiii history there is case
OF prince named Slang who received
lspess and had to go home after resigning
his command. This was B. C. $50. He
lived as leper twentythree years in
ShaRgung, T'sGu-chowfu. In the old
History of the Pang dynasty it is said
that woman of T'sau-chow, in Shang-
tung, professed to have communications
With demons and with nature and to be
snunioations. Many lepers went to her
for treatment and were healed +.
In the time of Confucius, one of his
own pupils, Pe-nieu, was leper, and
died of tho disease, and his demise is
mentioned in the Lun-yu during the
fifth century before Christ. Coming
down to the fourth and fifth centuries
efser Christ. leprosy is distinctly traced
10 South China and Cainbodia. In the
coantFy near Soo-chow "a somewhat con-
eyiaaous character named Chow-hing-si
became afflicted with the living death.
In his case white swelling appeared first
o. the hands.
The Chinese divide tumors as white nr
Ted. The red arc those of the light ele
ment, yang the white are those OF the
darker hue, yin. This would naturally
ha white leprosy. Then follows brief
account of the progress of the disease.
His left eye was soon gone, and the