The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-03-17
CENSUS OF LEPERS.
THE MARINE HOSPITAL SERVICE AR
RANGING TO TAKE ONE.

the Disease-Inoculation Experiments.
Uncle Sam is arranging for the first
counting of lepers ever made within our
boundaries. He has received informa-
tion warning him that leprosy, the most
terrible curse of ancient and modern
times, is on the increase in America
and that danger threatens us from neigh
boring countries surrounding Us on this
continent
The senate bill authorizing Surgeon
General Wyman, in charge of the ma
rine hospital service, to form commits
sion to count the number of cases and
report upon their origin is being put
through congress, where it appears to
have no opposition.
Surgeon General Wyman lately dis
patched to the international leprosy con-
ference at Berlin his chief bacteriol-
ogist, DR.. J. j. Kinyoun, who has re-
turned laden with many fresh facts con-
corning the dread contagion. DIR. Kin
youn recommends that we count our
lepers at once before taking further steps
to stamp out possibilities Of their spread
ing their misfortune No one knows ex-
actly how many lepers there are in the
United States. 1t has been estimated
that there are from 200 to 500 with
marked symptoms. Our national quar-
antine laws provide for the detention of
leprous immigrants knocking at our
gates
Dr. Kinyoun learned, however, while
abroad that leprosy has lately been dis
covered to exist in a number of forms
in which it is difficult TO recognize it.
Several obscure nervous and skin dis
eases known by other names have late
ly been attributed directly to the deadly
microbe of leprosy. A malady hitherto
known as Morvan's disease is caused
by that bacillus. Sufferers from it are
lepers, of course, though they do not
suffer from the external LESSONS, sores
or scales characteristic of common lep-
rosy.
These internal forms of leprosy are
now known abroad to be as contagious
and infectious as the we'll known form,
and their results are even more violent.
They are common TO localities inhabited
by lepers of the ordinary type, but I'M
suspected sufferers have thus far been
spared isolation. Other diseases hitherto
known as syringomylia and airhum
have also been found TO be forms of !ep-
rosy in which the germs attacked the
nervous system. 1t is very possible that
these unsuspicious forms have entered
our ports from abroad and that we have
such cases propagating among our
healthy inhabitants.
New Orleans is the most serious in
ternal focus of leprosy upon which I'm
Gle Sam has his eagle eye. The number
of cases are reported to be increasing III
that city, although Louisiana now has
a law for the isolation of lepers AS
last reported, they number about 81,
confined and isolated in home on what
is called the old Indian Camp planta-
ton, in Iberville parish.
Key West is suspected as another TO-
Gus of leprosy, the disease being import
ed there and the climate being particu-
larly favorable, it is alleged, for its
propagation.
San Francisco is counted as close
second to New Orleans in the relative
scale of this same danger. Leprosy is
known to exist there among the Chinese
population. Some authorities would
look with suspicion upon all thickly
settled Chinese quarters as promising
fields for search after the contagion.
Minnesota offers additional danger
points whence the infection might
spread. A number of cases isolated
there were originally brought to the
state by Norwegian immigrants. 1t has
also been estimated that in Iowa and
Wisconsin there may be many persons
tainted with leprosy brought from Nor
way, those states being populated with
many Norwegian immigrants. Leprosy
has wormed its way in recent years into
Philadelphia and New York.
Three years ago two girls were found
to be suffering from leprosy in New
Lexington, o. One was Is years old
and the other, her sister, was 8. Though
the elder had shown symptoms of the
disease since an infant, the younger
child was allowed to sleep with her. 1t
was believed that the father of the sub
jects had contracted the disease in the
late war.
Would we be exposed to increased
dangers from leprosy through the an
nexation of Hawaii or Cuba? Just now
these are mooted questions. There are
$500 known cases of leprosy in Hawaii,
but according to the present law in
vogue there each case when discovered
must be- isolated in the famous leper
colony on the gloomy island of Molokai,
one of the Hawaiian group. The Ha-
waiian law is so severe against the un-
fortunates that it reacts to great ex-
tent against its own enforcement. AS q
result many lepers on the islands are
purposely concealed from the authori-
ties by relatives and friends. AS far as
Cuba is concerned, leprosy is known to
be dangerously rampant upon that is
land. 1t is said that lepers are frequent
ly seen in the streets of Havana. Near
our border lines we are still further en-
dangered by its existence, not only in
Cuha INIT I'm Canada and the United