The evening times., 1899-01-09
LEPROSY In THE
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
Report oS Surgeon Carmichael
of Marine Hospital Service.
Visit TO the Leper Colony on Moo
kai Island.
Whites Seem to Have Immunity
From the ScOurge-The Infection
Carried by Flies.

Shortly after the passage of the resolu-
tion for the annexation of the Hawaiian
Islands the President sent Surgeon ID. A.
Carmichael, of the United States Marine
Hospital Service, TO Honolulu 10 make
special report en- leprosy. This r5po.t has
been completed AMI is exceedingly inter
esting. DR.. Carmichael says il is c!a med
that ieprCSy was brodght TO the islands
by the mixed crews of the North Pacific
whaling fleets in 1893. The first authen-
tic mention OF the disease seems to have
been made in 1928 by Rev. Charles S.
Stewart, cne of the early missionaries. He
wrote: The inhabitants generally are
subject to many disorders OF the skin, and
the majority are more or less dishgured
by eruption and sores, and many CT them
are as unsightly Iepers."
In DIR. AIonZo Chapins description of
the islands, published in 1888, is the fol-
lowing:
Foul ulcers OF many years standing.
both indolent and phagedenic, everywhere
abound, and visages horribly deformed,
eyes rendered blind, noses entirely de-
stroyed, mouths mcnstrcusly drawn aside
from their natural positions, liberated
palates and almost useless arms and leg.
mark most clearly the state of progress
Of the disease among that injured and
helpless people"
From time 10 time various other tray
elers and missionaries wrote or the raw
ages of the disease. The Chinese gener-
ally get the credit for its introduction, al
though very few Chinese on the islands
have il. Ii was not until 1865, when the
spread of the disease awakened public sp-
prehcnsicn, that the legislature OF tae
kingdCm of Hawaii enacted law TO pre-
Gnrpah This l3w DrnVldp0
the setting apart of isolated SITES for lep-
rous persons, and made il the duty OF the
police officials to take up leprous patients
wherever found and pace them on these
reservations. 1t also provided fer the
treatment of patients
For some years not much progress was
made, but now. on the Island of Molokai.
there is probably the most complete set
tlement of its kind in the world. 1t has
hospitals, churches. homes for leprous chill
dren. male and female; stores, market
dispensaries, cottages for lepeT residents,
jails, storehouses, etc. The cost OF this
settlement is about $61 600 per year, and
the cost OF the receiving station at Kalihi
is about $lG.Gi0 yearly. From 1866 TO 1885
there were received / 1903 male and ,094 fe-
male Hawaiian lepers and less than leo OF
all other nationalities.
DR. Carmichael visited the station at
Molokai. He passed through large crowd
of lepers on landing and was welcomed
by band of music composed of leper boys.
Cases OF lepTosy in all srges, from the
slight 10 the most revolving type, were seen
by him.
The experiments bearing on the direct
inoculation OF leprosy do not seem TO have
turned out satisfactorily. Close contact
/ of almost any kind is mode of communi-
! cation of lspTosy. and it is said the common
! house fly and mosquito are the principal
/ carriers OF the infection. All persons are
! not susceptible 10 leprosy. and most OF the
white race seem 10 have z certain immu-
| nifty. 4 woman who had washed the
! clothes of lepers for seventeen years and
had leperS living in her house is hale and
! hearty and as fine 4 specimen of woman
hood as anyone in the island. At one
time much importance attached TO
the theory of heredity. but in the light
/ of the present day il is considered an ,X-
! pIoded theory.
The two principal types OF lepTosy are
! the tubercular and anassthetic. OF which
the fc-mer is the more abundant Tle
/ Hawaiian government has made every eff
! fcrt TO employ different methods recon-
mended as cures for leprosy, but il does
I net seem TO meet wiki any great degree OF
success. Under the influence of good food,
! improved hygienic surroundings and
| treatment of a tonic nature the disease
improves and occasionally is arrested but
! the tendency TO relapse is always con-
: slant.
| DR. Carmichael does not think there is
| any great diminution in the number OF
! cases when compared with former years,
but the Hawaiian authorities assert the
| contrary. He thinks they have accom-
! plished much in preventing the spread of
! leprosy by comparison with the difficult
lies encountered. The native race, who
/ are the most susceptible TO the disease.
show indifference and want of cooper
alton. He advocates the adoption of COM
| prehensive, restrictive measures to pre-