The Indianapolis journal., 1897-01-18
BANlSHED FOR LIFE.
The Outcasts of south Africa and
Their Island Home.
London Daily Mail.


an asylum most unique in its organization,
established for those who leave the MAIN
land for the mainand's good; for there. on
RObben island. are detained the most dam
gerous and criminal lunatics of the Cape
colony and the whole of the lepers of South
Africa, with the exception of the Trans
Naal. 1t is now some sixty years since the
Cape government first began to deport its
lepers TO this deSolate sand heap, where,
eleven miles from the mainland, they
would be quite harmless. Until two years
ago the island was under the sole control
of the medical superintendent, but the pop
ulation had grown until including the luna
tics, convicts retained there as laborers and
attendants, there were some fourteen thou
sand souls; and, a result of a special
commission, the civil authority was vested
in a commissioner. while the medical staff
was reorganized and restricted to its own
department. This. in spite of the strong
objection of the medical staff to the change,
has worked so far exceedingly well. Her
Majesty's commissioner in charge is Mr..
George Piers, who has already, while main
tanning strict discipline gained the respect
and affectionatc good will of his very
mixed subjects. These number 3Oi male
lepers. 2l2 female lepers. while of the luna
tics there are 163 males and 80 females.
These last call for no special remark. They
the worst of the lunatics of the colony,
and u large number are convicted GRIM
iBas. They are now housed in a series of
very substantial buildings, which were for
nerly devoted to the lepers. So efficient.
however, is the management and attend
arce that during the last year no mechan-
ical restraint has been found necessary,
The leper aSylumS consist OF two collec-
tionS of detached wards, built along the
eastern beach of the island, the first for
males and the second for females. In each
ward there is large dormltory, dining
room, common room, and bath-house
While the whites are, of course, placed by
themselves, the colored patients are group
ed far possible according to the dls-
tricts from which they have been brought
Every ward forms Il republic by ltSel1 ana
so long as assault and battery and wilfu
damage Is abStained from, enaSts Its own
laws; for the most curious thing about the
asylum is that there have never been any
regulations drafted for the patients to con-
form to- The surgeon in charge OF the
whole establishment, Mr.. Everard Is. Tod
with the assistant surgeon, Mr. Ihornton
exercises strong moral influence over ALL
and both are ably seconded by an excellent
staff of attendants, but that Is all. Every
gets up and goes to bed Whe1l ne
pleases, takes his meals when they are
served or puts his food by for time more
agreeable to himself. and wanders over the
whole island, except the small mclosed
parts-a space of some two miles by one
at his own sweet Will. Very Few or the
patients are bedridden, and few still suffer
any pain: the disease in its two chief
forms. tubercular and anaesthetlc, pro-
crossing surely, without much impairment
Of the, vital functions, until towards
the end. The females are naturally kept
apart from the males within guarded in
closures. but that is the only difference In
the treatment. They are. however. less
easily restrained than the men. and the
civil power has consequently to be more
often invoked for their judicious correction
The ordinary duration of the disease seems
to be about twelve years and the Oldest
leper inha bitant has only been on the island
for fourteen years. But the majority of the
deaths occur from chest complaints. The
prevailing wind, the southeastern is
known as the Cape Doctor on the main
land, but on the island, to the poor patients
from the far inland plateauX, it means
pEthsis and death. The work OF the sur
geons. apart from the disease incidental to
the situation of the asylum is. however,
very heavy. for. although leprosy is not
susceptible to any known treatment. there
is much dressing to be attended TO. and
many amputations and minor operations to
be performed to prolong life and lessen suf-
fering. The troubles of these poor people
are only to be understood by accompanying
the surgeons on their daily rounds. and by
conversing privately with the patients. Not
one will admit that their disease is incur
able. very many deny that they have the
disease at all. and complain bitterly
of conspiracies to deport them to
the island and insure their detention.
Papers are freely supplied to them, and
friends. that they are kept in touch with
the events of the outside world. Nearly
all the patients firmly believe that the sur
geonS are in league not to cure them so
as to detain them on that deSolate spot
| forever. and they refuse to be amused or
| entertained. On one occasion Mr.. Tod. for
| example procured magic lantern and a
| set of excellent slides. For the first eXhibi-
| tion there "A fair attendance and much
! interest displayed; for the second there
| were four present. and Tor the third none
| Not till long after did he find out the rea-
! son. which was that in every ward attend
| ance had been forbidden because 1t was
| universally considered only plan to make
| them seem happy. so that people might be
brought over to the islanu TO see how con-
tented they were witt their lot; then they
would never get away. The same fate
| has met the attempt to establish a band
| TO promote football and cricket. and other
| outdoor and indoor amuSementS.
| In face of this. however. the surgeons
never lose heart. and with their wives and
| her Majestys commissioner and his family
are always devising some new means OF
| Willing away the weary hours Mr.. Ceci
Rhodes gave to the white female patients
| a bath chair which has been much appre
| ciated. and Mrs. Thornton. wife of the sec
ond surgeon. has been very successful with
a sewing party. In time success may come
| with otner projects.
| The spiritual needs of the whole island
are cared for by the Rev. W. Nj. watkins
with the Rev. c. r Gresley as carate .t
| Dutch Reformed Church. and other denom
| nations represented by visitors. The
| cnurcn OF the 1SIafu Is near the
| quarters establishment. and is a very olC
| building. relic of the days when Robber
| island fortified post.
| Very important results may be expected
| I'm future from the study of leproSy at thi:
| asylum. for after many requests the sur
! geon in charge has now been equipped witt
| n laboratory All experiments before were
| rather officially discouraged All that car
| be now said however. il that there is n'
known successful treatment of the disease
| Questioned To the need for the str1c
segregation of lepers. Mr.. Tod would onl!
| say that while leproSy was undoubtedl,
| contagious to a certain degree. there Wa:
| no recorded case in the sixty years hiStor!
! Of the asylum of the contraction OF th'
| disease on the island by any attendant o.
| other person whatsoever. and this In spite
! of the great latitude permitted. He furthe
/ pointed out. as fact that had never be
| fore been made public that. at any rate. 50
far as South Africa was concerned. ther'
! was "a high percentage OF cases OF the dis
! ease i'm the districts with the greatest rain
| fall and Il very low percentage in the DIR,
! districts. The actual figures for 1893 wer
| S99 per ten thousand of population in tn
rainfall To the almost vanishing point of 1.
| per ten thousand in the most arid karo'
! divisions.
! Undoubtedly the situation of the island i
| bad and causes great suffering TO inland
| bred people. The one advantage Is the Sc
/ curity afforded by the twelve miles OF gen
| orally rough sea. for the only successful
! escape on record was accomplished thre
! years ago when six colored lepers made
! rough boat Of boards and padded il across
| although two were drowned in the surf a
! landing.
AN EVENTFJL CAREER.