The San Francisco call., 1896-08-16
.HOPE FOR Il SCIENTIFIC
LEPROSY REMEDY
Dr.. WinsIow Hnderson's Learned,
Valuable and Interesting Paper
on the Dread Nalady


1t is estimated on the best authority
that the islands were Inhabited as early as
500 A. D., and probably much earlier.
From this time. until shipwrecked Span
iards we're driven by the trade winds TO
the Islands of Hawaii in 1927 no def
mite knowlege of the inhabitants has been
obtained. In 1866 the islands were dis
covered by Juan Gaetano, and again BIZ
Captain Cook In 177S. Captain Cook esti-
mated that in 1778 there were over 100000
inhabitants. In 1882 there were only $780,
600; in 1866 the population was reduced to
$1,000, and in 1896 there are about 80, 900
native Hawaiians. The causes operative
in the determination of this splendid race
are diseases such as consumption and
measles, brought over by the early sailors
and settlers. Oftentimes measles will kill
off half of the inhabitants of a village
when attacked. Intemperance. syphilis
and other vices are responsible for many
deaths. The native medicine men or
"Kahunas' play no small part in killing
off these simple-minded men-of-the-sea by
their superstitious and barbarous method
of treating the sick. The total mortality
of leprosy since its Introduction into the
islands has been only about 5000.
Leprosy appeared on the islands for the
first time in 1874, at which time several
Chinese were found suffering from the
disease. 1t is therefore known to the Ha-
waiians as MAJ pake, or Chinese disease.
The first case of leprosy among the native
Hawaiians occurred eight years later
QS52). at the present time (1S96) there
are about 1900 lepers on the islands, of
whom about 7G0 are males and about 500
are females, mostly native Hawaiians and
half whites. There are a few Chinese,
English, Americans, Germans, Portu-
guese, Spanish, South Sea Islanders and
one negro suffering from the disease.
During the twenty-six years following
the time leprosy first made its appearance
on the Hawaiian Islands the disease spread
to an alarming extent; accordingly in
1866, during the reign of Kamehameha V,
a leper hospital was esta ablished at Kalihi,
Oahu, for the purpose of segregation and
isolation. Later in the same year a Ieper
colony was founded on the beautiful
island of Molokai. Here on the north
ern slopes, sheltered from the winds, is a
fertile valley comprising some 5000 acres.
This valley is surrounded on the north,
east and west by the ocean and on the
south by impossible precipitous mount
aims. 2000 to 1000 feet in height, formerly
an extinct volcano. In this garden of the
sea, with luxuriant tropical Yerdure, is
the present site of the Hawaiian leper
colony, where the unfortunate sufferers
are surrounded by all the comforts the
present enlightened Hawaiian Govern
ov,4
die in sunshine and in peacel
ORIGIN OF LEPRosY.
AS with many other diseases and social
conditions, it is somewhat difficult to de-
termins when and where leprosy origi-
mated. 1t is probable, however, that
Ieprosy arose in the delta and valley of
the Nile in prehistoric times. Leprosy
was endemic in Egypt as early as 1900
B. c., and existed in India, Palestine,
Arabia and China. 1t was also endemic
among the Hebrews when they migrated
from Egypt.-Lev. xii.
Leprosy existed in Persia, and the
earlier Greek and Latin writers speak OF
The disease. In Greece and Italy we find
it as early as the first century B. G. The
disease was probably introduced by the
army of Pompey. From there it spread
TO the Roman colonies in Spain, Gaul and
Britain. Charlemagne made laws regu-
lating the marriage of lepers in the seventh
century. In the eleventh century we find
the disease at Canterbury. During the
crusades ieprosy became epidemic in
Western Europe. It was estimated that
at least $4,000 lepers existed in Europe at
this time-I096 to 1871 A. D.
Hospitals and azarettos were estab-
lIshed for the care and isolation of lepers
all over infected Europe. Ninety-five
such houses are recorded in England,
Scotland and Ireland. Bergen, Norway,
established a hospital in 1877, which until
late years had 1000 inmates. Leprosy is
met with even at The present day in many
parts OF the civilized world, from the
frozen north of Norway and northern
Russia to the sunny south of India and
the Pacific islands. Within the last six
months case was discovered on the
streets of Paris and sent to the Hospital
st. Louis. where there were already sew
eral other patients. The hospitals in San
Reno and i'll Spain and Portugal are
never without ieprous cases. Turkey and
the Ionlan Islands are also infected. !
Crete alone has over 800 cases. In British
India it is estimated that there are over
lO0,O 900 cases. In Japan there are 10000
lepers. One hundred thousand cases or
more will be found in China. The prov
ince of Canton counts over 10000 Iepers.
South America and Africa are infected |
with leprosy, so that 1t is impossible al |
present to ascertain the number of per-
sons afflicted with the disease. 1t is
safe, however, to estimate that no fewer
than from 100000 TO $4,000 cases OF |
leprosy exist at the present time in
various parts of the world. Even San |
Fran cisco has number of cases on hand |
most Of the time.
CAUSE OF LEPRosY.
Temperature, climate, soil, race, habits
and food all have been regarded as predis-
posing if not exciting causes of the dis
ease.
That temperature has no obvious infu-
ence on the disease is manifest from the /
fact that ieprosy prevails alike in Norway |
and India.
That soil and climate are equally inop- |
erative is shown by the fact that it occurs
both on n1arshv soils and Mt HIGH eleva-