The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-15

Medicine Tell of Hundreds of Sue
cessfuI Cases-DeRd Skin Is Re-
stored and Twisted Limbs Made
New AGain-Serum Taken From
the Blood of LeprOus Kids and
Colts.
Copyright 1896.
New York Nov. BIS there any hope
for me? Can you get me home again?"
These are the last words that sound in
the ears Of those who visit the leper
colony on North Brother Island, where
those afflicted with leprosy are Gagged for
life in a living death-with only the Pot
ter's field beyond.
"Glet me home! Glet me home" cried
out the Cinnamon of the colony to visit
tors-the Cinnamon who made their es-
cape a few days ago-and the youngest
of the lot, a bright-faced lad, turns away,
for even he, in his youth, knows there is
no love for his poor body in this world
But from the hot lands of South Amer
lea, where leprosy RACES, there comes an
answer to this beseeching cry for help,
an answer as unexpected as it is welcome.
DR.. Juan de Dios Carrasquila of 30.
gotta, Colombia, is finding cure for lep-
rosy that may yet set the lepers upon
their feet in the community and blot off
from their horizon the word "uncleanv
His discovery is the work of life time
of hard work
The curse of leprosy began before the
time of Christ. Lew Wallace makes it
the subject for the most stirring chapter
in Ben Hur." when the girl and her
mother walk long miles to waylay the
Saviour and be cleansed from their dis
ease.
AS time has progressed, leprosy, instead
of being stamped out, has grown greater.
1t keeps step with the increased population
of the world and to-day there are more
lepers than there ever were before. be-
cause there are more people upon the
globe
Absolute sanitation keeps leprosy out
of this country. The quarantine laws are
so strict that none are allowed to land nor
can they gain access by Novia Scotia, Van
couver or the border lakes Canada looks
out for lepers with strict eyes. Every in
coming ship bound from China, Brazil.
Honolulu, South America, or India, is
seached with fidelity not appreciate by
those who have not seen the close scru-
tiny put upon the passengers of steamers
from leprous countries.
They succeed in keeping lepers out of this
country except in a few instances. A
baker, who, looking for work, was arrest
ed by the board of health when in a far
advanced stage of leprosy, sent a thrill
of horror through every household; and
the laund-yman whose singularlX spotted
appearance attracted attention caused
chills to creep over the heart of every shirt
wearer. Lepers do creep in, and the cure
of leprosy is as interesting here as in
countries where every third man is, or
should be. an outcast.
The discovery of DIR. Carrasquilla, who
is physician of great repute in the capt.
tai city in which he lives, is in the form
of a serum. 1t is obtained by injecting
young goats and young horses with lep-
rous blood. The kids and colts are thus
given leprosy and the disease is left to
work itself out upon them. AT a certain
stage of the disease portion of the faint
ed matter is distracted from them, and
with this serum lepers are vaccinated.
The process is Similar to smallpox
treatment. Serum is distracted from
cows that have had cow-pox and persons
are inoculated with it. The result is a
mild attack of smallpox. A sore forms
the patient becomes feverish and eats
little. In three weeks he is we'll again
He has had smallpox without being made
III in bed by it, and henceforth he can
not have 1t again. This "Vaccinates' him
effectively.
A patient vaccinated with leprous Sc
rum Is treated differently by the process
Oh thls Brazilian doctor. The disease of
leprosy is so horrible, so dreaded so in
durable that no one in his sound mind
would be willing, not even in the cause
Oh science or humanity, to risk IL There
fore, well persons are not inoculated viii
it. win
When man shows signs of lenrosv
then the serum from the leprous liza 4;
injected into him. -
Inc result is fastening of the die.
ease. FOR few days it RACES and the
patent thinks his end is near But tba
DaclLl appear to wear themselves out
Ihey ilVe violent, fast life. They die
ana then the patient begins to recover
case where it has been tried.
In leprosy the first signs are b,p,rs
Upon the face there will come uttie
tumlhed appearances. The lenrous
bacilh have entered and are at VOL
hard swellings come up the face Is al
colored' the lips become sore; other lumns
appear; the face gradually loses sbana
Nothing can stop the ravages of the ba.
Gill. Within year the lips are mnnv
ana swollen, the nose is broad and shane
less, the cheeks are puffy, the eyelids are
poWerless to protect the ewes. being dis-
shapen masses Of flesh, and the counte-
nance wears hideous semblance to what
it formerly was. "''8'
The serum. If injected as soon as the
condition is discovered, appears 10 IsjII
the bacilh The Jumps disappear. the face
gets back its color, and after a short
sharp attack the patient begins to Oct
well. This has been done in MANY cases
and in a report made to the New York
Academy of Medicine the doctor saia he
mad not yet treated a case fruitlesslv
ana this In country where there are
10000 new cases of leprosy annuallvl
The other kind of leprosy is harder 10
act upon, but it is being done. This is
the leprosy that takes the form of anes-
thesia. Small scaly spots appear in Tho
palm OF the hand. Gradually the snot
loses sensibility. There is no feeling in n
GU can pound It, cut 1t, tear 1t away from
the hand while the patient looks on and
shows no pain. Little by little the snofs
increase in area. The hands become like
claws. The nerves are DESTROYED and
there is no feeling in the Fingers. The
wrist makes the hand do its bidding b,t
the poor, twisted fingers hang loose. Grad
ually they drop off as the ifnportant f,ro