Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-04-28
THE LEPERS OF
TIE PHILIPPINES.
There Are FHtg Thousand of Them on our Islands and
They 60 About as They Please.
FRANK G. CARPENTER

/ I'm Canton which has 800 inmates There
/ both sexes live together and many
OF them marry and have children.
OBJECT TO CREMATION
The doctors here have had consider.
able trouble about disp0siug OF the
bodies. They at first insisted that an
| should be burned. but the Chinese and
FllIpinOs made such an outcry over this
! that Gen Otis has Couutermanded the
order. When the plague was so bad ia
Canton many OF the pall-bearers who
We're paid 90 carry the collins TO the
graves were stricken with DC. and when
four men would go out for that pur-
pose often but two would return. The
Chinese here are very anxious 90 have
the bodies OF the deceased sent back to
China. They put them 90 immense
wooden collins which are Theoretically
sealed by vanishing them again and
again with sort of a lacquer. but
which are. nevertheless, unsafe IN case
OF the plague. During the prevalence
Of the disease at Canton there were a
number Of Chinese coffin associations,
men who dubbed together 10 furnish
collins Tor the poor. In one such club
two thousand collins were given away.
anu WlNNkNNltI AlNAt AAIAM EIAAN AllNMH~
sand collins were furnished for plague
patients
A NATION OF sCRATCHERs.
It is said that 90 per cent OF the people
of the Philippines are suffering from
skin diseases. and from the amount OF
scratching ] see going on. / Judge that
the figures are not overdrawn Every
second person you meet. whether man.
woman or child. jerks his clothes this
way and that, apparently hunting for
fleas. The diseases are largely caused
by eating fish, which forms the chief
diet Of the native Filipino II brings
about fish eczema. In which the skin
scales Of. making the patient look at
times not unlike a leper Then there Is
the dobe itch. which Is so common that
az least one-third Of the foreigners have
had IT, This Is supposed 10 be caused
by a parasite which comes In the water
In which the clothes are cleaned by the
Filipino washwomen. II usually attacks
the toes. the armpits and the parts Of
the body which perspire most profusely,
causing a rash. II sets one almost
crazy, but Il Is easily cured and Is not
at all dangerous
The natives themselves pay but little
attention TO such diseases. although
they have numerous medicinal plants,
and the mineral springs, hot and cold.
which are found In different parts Of the
Islands, are very well patronized
THE SMALLPOX.
The most dangerous Of all the skin
diseases is, OF course, the smallpox,
which has lately broken out IN a mum.
Der OF places IL exists along the line
OF the railway In Luzon and az several
Of the ports. and Is said to be spreading
In Panay and Cebu Several officers Of
the army have had Il, but as yet, It has
not affected the foreigners to any ex-
tent The spring months are the most
dangerous times Of the year for this
I disease The weather Is hot and dry,
and the heat from noon until about
pm. Is often oppressive.
called at the health department to-
day and made some inquiries Of the
doctors. They are not alarmed at the