The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-02-22
FOR LEPERS.
Hope of Cure From Their Terrible
Affection.

The New Found Remedy and Its Opera
Sufferers.
DIR. Albert A. Ashmead, who has made
leprosy almost life study, is consider
ing the project of establishing in New
York city hospital for lepers. The pa
tients of such a hospital would be
treated with what is known as the Cara
squilla serum. This serum was discover
ed by famous medical scientist of b.
gotta, whose name has been give to the
remedy for the most dreadful OF diseases
Thore ia at present raging, particular
ly in New York city, a somewhat acri
monious warfare between edical men
as to whether the disease of leprosy Is or
| is not contagious. 1t is held by O ma
lority of the members OF the Board CT
Health of New York city that leprosy Is
There are at present three inmates of the
New York Leper Hospital on North
! Brother Island, located in Long Island
Sound. Under the present holding of
the Board Of Health, the
inmates of the leper hospital may be re-
leased, because the argument has already
been made that there is no use in hold
ing them If the public would not tie
menaced by their freedom; that if they
have to be in hospital at all, they might
as well be in one of the regulation city
hospitals for the poor.
These facts arc referred to because
upon the issue of this dispute depends
the establishment of the leper hospital in
New York, which would practically be
the initial institution of its kind. When
questioned concerning his plans in the
matter, DR.. Ashmead said:
IT am considering tho propriety of
starting a Carrasquilla Institute in New
York city. have received from DR.. Car
rasqnilla, Bogota, Columbia, six con-
| sianments Of anti-leprous serum, 70 bot
ties in all. Further consigments will be
following at short intervals. OF the COD
signment received l have forwarded por
lions thereof to DR.. Hansen at Bergen,
Norway, DR.. c. Peterson, Inspector
General of Leprosy of Russia, st. Peters
burg; DR.. Edwards. President of tn 9
Hawaiian Board of Health, Honolulu.
These gentlemen will experiment with
| the serum and make a report Of the re-
suits obtainsd.
"Prof. Carrasquilla in his latest letter
to me, says: The efficacy of the anti
leprous serum, tried for one year OH q
large numbeE of patients, leaves no
doubt, as you will find out for yourself,
of It's power. The process gives all kinds
of security which makes me hope that
| you will recommend 1t to the attention
Of others and persuade them to study it. ;
"The above named countries, Norway,
Russia and the Sandw ich Itlands, have
had the following experience: In Nor
way, in 1855, there were 1877 lepers. In
the time elapsing from that date to 1891,
| Ass additional cases appeared, making a
grand total of 1885. There was passed in
1885 law known as the mixed isolation
law that is, isolation in hospitals and
| in families. If the family of the leper
| in Norway desire to retain his co1npan-
ionship, they are allowed to do SO, prov
ided they sac to it that not the slightest
danger of oontagion, so far as other peo-
| pie are concerned, exists.
"There was a time in Russia when 1t
was held that the diseose was not conta-
| eious. The population at that time was
1874, COO, 000 Owing tn the prevailing
opinion, the leper hospitals were closed.
The fallacy of supposins leprosy to be
non contagious was almost at once ap-
parent in the tremendous increase OF The
disease. Prof. Munoh, of Kiev, and
Prof. Peterson, began studying leprosy
in Russia in 1879. Their conclusions,
after long and careful consideration, were
that climate. situation and food had
nothing to do with the spread of leprosy.
A Russian commission appointed to
consider the subject reported quito re-
GENTLY that their investigations showed
that leprosy was contagious, and there
fore advised the segregation OF all lepers.
| "There are in Russia today 5000 lepers.
There are about the same number in the
Hawaiian Islands. No one knows she
number of lepers In the United States.
As rule thore whose cases are discov-
| or0u dr0 bHo VlCGltuS.O VI dCCIuouus We suuto
other disease appears. In every town
that has Chinese quarter. it is almost
unquestionably true that there are any
mum Der of cases of leprosy of which the
authorities know nothing. This situa-
tion is standing menace to the health
of these cities. Yet there seems to be no
way of remedyiDg the difficulty, as the
| friends Of persons suffering from the
dread disease will conceal them at almost
any cost to themselves. Under these cir
cumstances 1t seems so strange and fool
ish to me tor anyone who understands
medical science to form the opinion that
| eprosy Is not contagious. Every scien.
tifc fact resulting from leprosy investiRa-
ton goes to prove That leprosy is conta-
gioua. How 1t is possible for person to
contradict consoientiously able scientists
who have Investigated the matter, il
something which cannot comprehend. -
| 1t Is not claimed that the nti-leprous
serum which DR.. Ashmead proposes to
i ,,no T., tho horpital for 1o,,ore .bor1S7 r..