The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-04-29

ing out his mutilated hands adds these
two words in English. Give money" /
take out a Mexican dollar and throw It
to him. and he gathers the horrid crowd
I'm the sun to one side and poses them
for me.
Thoasands of Lepers IN Asia.
Revolving scenes in the Hospital.
As / snap the button tho native doctor
appears and we go together through tho
building with the ghoulish crowd at our
heels. We pass upstairs through one long
hall after another. each filled with beds.
upon some OF which lepers are lying. The
halls are clean and well lighted. The wallis
are whitewashed and the building In cool
and well kept. The floor IL OF hard wood
polished so that our faces and those OF
these living dead men are reflected in II as
we walk through.
Leaving the mems ward, we next go to
the women's ward. There are eighty-one
men and fifty-five women and girls now I'm
the hospital. The females are OF all ages,
from little tots OF four up 10 gray-haired.
Notwithstanding hays of sixty The most
OF them are idle. sitting about talking.
smoking and chewing the betel.
can imagine nothing more horrible than
the condition of these people here. They
have no amusements and no work. They
are Just waiting 10 die and watching them
selves, knowing that they must die inch by
inch
understand that the health officers are
considering the matter of leper island
and that Al the earliest possible moment
the lepers Will be gathered together and
carried there. This has been done In
Puerto Rico. and there Is no doubt that II
should be done In the Philippines.
Precautions Taken IN Manila.
This part OF the world seems to breed
iepcrs. There are said to be more than a
million In India, China and Japan. and in
this estimate half a million Is assigned TO
HindoostAn. No accurate statistics have
been taken for China. for lepers are to be
found IN all the cities In tho southern part
Of that empire They mix with the rest OF
the people. and you see leper boggars
oVerywhere. On many of tho rivers they
so about In boats asking for aims. thrust
Ing out bags attached 70 long poles AZ
every boat and ship which goes by. They
blackmail the funeral professions and levy
tribute on the mouvnerS. threatening TO
touch them " they do not give aims There
Is a leper asylum In Canton which has 800
inmates. There both sexes live together.
and many o. them marry and have chill
dren,
saw no Chinese lcpers in the Manila
hospital. bat there Is a large Chinese pop
ulation here. and without doubt some OF
the Chinese are lcperN- Leprusy vas
known In China several hundred years be-
fore the DAYS OF ContueiuS. and II 10 said
that one Of the disciples % that sage died
OF this dreadful disease.
nesfhs Fror, ire Buhonx Plague.
I.epro-y is usually caused b. contact bat
Il "a the more prevalent wherever the pee-
pie are overcrowdsd, dirty aud poorly fed.
A hot. moist climate. such We have
here "a conducive 20 Il, and tho govern
rnent is using every EFFORT 20 pat the town
!n a better sanitary condition.
So tar eur soldiers have been very
healthy here Ia Manila. and also IN an
PARTS of the Philippines. I have 90 doubt
bus that these islands are among the most
hcAlthsul OF all tropical countries and for