The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-11-07
DECREAsE OF LEPROsY.

london Ma

London Mall.
Few things offer more satisfactory food
for reflection than the Punishment OF iep-
rosy from the British islands. Its ravages
are now for the most part confined TO the
great Oriental population. hut in medieval
England the d.sease assumed gigantic
Ieprosy il believed 20 have existed in
Egypt as early as 1500 b. q. Herodotus
knew OF II In Persia. and the early Gsin-
eae writers refer to the disease.
Il is improbable that ieprosy afflicted
early Greece and Rome, as the ancient
writer's Of these countries invariably
speak Of It as : foreign disease. IL how
iirst century before Christ. and accom-
PANIED the Roman colohis.s into Spain.
GAM and Italy.
established in Canterbury Ia A.. p. lfk&.
The crusadss are credited With be.ng an
important agent in the dissemination Of
this terrible disease, for during this period
la 1925 we hear os the existence sf Zoo
iePer hospitals Ia France alone.
The nulnhsr Of lepor houses Ia Europe
,s 1 ;s ses 81 u 1.' s. o = sS
that hstwesa to Art lspr house b.1It
~ the yer lsl3 no lem than IL instteu-
t1oqa were hullt 5n this country. The ieDes
most part religious and dedicated to 81.
Lazaris. In the eye Of the Law the ieper
was dead. The church adopted the same
poor unfortunate on the day Of his re-
movai to the lazar house THIS Was per-
hips scarcely LsS charitable than the
modern act Of reading the burial ssrv.es
10 condemned man on the scanoid. but
the church In those dsy5 vent further--is
threw q shovel full OF earth over the
poor wretch az a symbol OF the grave that
vas yawniag for him.
The lcpeIH wore a special costume, usu-
ally long gray gown WITH hood drawn
over the face. Instead Of the hsartreadlns
Jewish cry. "Unciesn., aneiean." The med
ievai ieper announced his approach by
means IT WOODEN clappefA
From the year is2s there was a decided
dscrtas. Ia the number of lepcrs IN En-
reign Of Edward w. reported that few
lepsxs remained In any of the lazar hols-
Is. Before Henry YIN. came to. the
throne lepFosy had practically dss&p-
last Of the scourge about the same time.
In Norway, ireland and Russia trace
OF this msdiesAl bigai Is tound today.
ua,lI the Glaze Of the last century. Rare
casss are also found N Portugal. Spain.
Turkey and Greece al the present tine.
While the disease was thus dying on. of
Europe ISOLATION yas eserywhers strictly
enforeed
Leproxy followed the Chinese smmigsa-
tipn into America, appearing az far east ~
il il encountered. Ths cls-se was ear
Yied into the 6&nd sich Islands In isss.
aud has been spreading With alarming ae-
ivi.y, IL is rampant IN the HAWAIIAN
Islands where The Immortal Father Ua-
mica went TO Miassser relief 10 the sspers.
and VINO By hL@ death has left monli-
fneut OF deso.i0l that al! last for all
lima
TIE cause OF ths disease 4 little known.
bur qualified Observers halieye !! 20 10
strongly hereditary. same think that fish
food. esaeczaily when sailed or deeom-
POSED - The NAH cause OF ItS orig.n- Dirt
aud bad sanitation asE 81 course, fasGf-
able 10 rs growth But whatever me
cause, lsr Us ts Thankful Tor It's depart
4ta from shese Islands.