The sun., 1901-08-04
FEAR OF LEPRoSY IN EUROPE.
sPREAD or THE DISEASE CAUSED
by COLONIAL EXPANSION.

SPREAD or THE DISEASE CAUSED
BY COLONIAL EXPANSION.
| 4 Leper sanitarium Estsbiished IN Ger.
many-Oue Proposed In France Lax
spanish Methods Disease m Norway.
Incident to colonial expansion there has
been. particularly In France and Germany,
/ 40 marked an increase in the number OF
cases Of leprosy In Europe that the matter
is receiving serious attention. There are
even alarmists who say that western Europe
Ia on the eve OF another outbreak Of the
disease such as followed the return Of the
| Crusaders
The question was brought up before
the French Academy Of Medicine In 1885
and 1888. In Berlin, in 1897. there was
an international medical conference TO
consider precautionary measures to pre-
vent the spread Of the disease. On May
81 last, DR.. Besnier OF the French Academy
| OF Medicine declared that it was advisable
| to establish In France national leprosy
| sanitarium whore persons tainted with
the disease might be isolated.
| Taking this state Of AFFAIRS for his text,
NJ Dastre has contributed to the Rcpvs
dee des DeaI 1ondes a study Of leprosy and
disease. He points out that in two regions
In France leproey has existed continuously
since the middle ages These are Brittany
and the neighborhood Of Nice. The Nice
lepers are supposed to be descended from
leper colony that dated back TO the Sara
| cen invasion.
A. aoo ;.t;. ,t-
breaks Of the disease occurred along the
Alpes-Maritimes coast. causing the death
OF some twenty persons. Individual cases
Of the disease ars still found In the neigh
borhood. In Brittany leprosy In the sew.
enteenth century was very widespread
and II has never been entirely stamped
out
In a majority Of the recently imported
cases from the French colonies In the Orient
the patients are Government employees.
commercial travellers, missionaries sol
diers and sisters Of charity. All told It
In estimated that the proposed leper colony
IN France would begin with between
300 and 400 patients.
Germany established leper sanitarium
two years ago. Up to 1910 the disease was
unknown In Russia. A few years ago II
appeared In the Memel district, causing
the death Of nineteen persons. In 1880
| seventeen districts around the city were
found TO be contaminated and the sani-
tary department Of the German Government
opened a leper hospital 10 which all suffer-
ers were forced TO 60 and in which the
isolation from the outer world was COM
plete. The regulations on the subject are
very strict, as was shown in the case Of
German merchant who came home to en-
Joy fortune which he had amassed in
one Of the tainted colonies and who was
found to DO suffering from leprosy.
forthwith, purchase country house remote
from all neighbors and then live absolutely
isolated from the world under penalty
Of being removed to the leper hospital.
The authorities even went 70 far as 10
designate the particular room in the house
which the leper and each OF the members
Of his family were to occupy.
Great Britain. with more foreign pos
sessions Ia which leprosy prevails than
any other country ia the world has always
fully protected herself from invasions
OF the scourge. In the thirty years from
1868 to 1895 only ninety-six imported cases
were reported.
In Portugal it IL estimated that there
are in the neighborhood Of 600 cases OF
leprosy while In Spain there are certain
number Of breeding places OF ths disease.
The lepers In Spain are not isolated. They
work In the fields and act as shepherds.
Some Of them even may. They are avoided
W
ease are particularly pronounced.
There Is one leprosy infested region
of Spain which has a curious history. II
IL Sagra in the Province Of Alicante.
Leprosy was unknown there until 1850,
when Il was introduced by man who
had returned from the Philippines 70 enjoy
the fortune he had acquired. The case
was 40 far similar to that Of the German
merchant already described. Spanish
methods are not as thorough-going a.
German and no restraint was put on the
leper. lie communicated the disease TO
his friends first and it gradually spread
10 the nearby villages OF Jalon. Paroent
and Orba. Within very few years more
than 200 persons we're pronounced lepers.
and only recently a. many as $50 OF these
unfortunates were still living
In Italy the lepers are only 100 or so
In number and are principally limited
20 few small groups In Liguria and Sicily
OF anywhere in Europe They are forced
10 take refuge like wild animals In caves
and huts remote from their fellow men.
IL seems to be a settled conviction in the
popular mind that the only thing a leper
ought to do Is TO die and be as quick
about it as possible,
There are many lepers in Turkey. In
Constantinople alone there are, accord
ing to an eminent Turkish authority. Fam
baco Pasha, no fewer than 900, who roam
about freely and get their living by So
liciting aims.
One Of the worst leprosy y-scourged coun-
tries in Europe In modern times was Nor
way, where in 1856 there were no fewer
than 5000 known cases. One thing re-
earding the disease was established In
Norway beyond peradventurs, and that
IL that by isolation, and by isolation only.
can the plague be stamped out. DR.. Han
sen obtained arTee 1rom the Govern
ment providing Tor the isolation Of the
infected and then caused five leper hos
pitals to be established. In 1890 the num-
Der of lepers had fallen to 500 and to-day
there are not more than $50 left in all Nor
way This is overwhelming proof OF the
efficacy of isolation In stamping out the
diSetse
Prof Nesser of Brcsau has isolated
the leprosy bacillus. The bacillus Il long
In form and 40 resembles that OF tuber-
cuosis that Daniel-sen affirmed that the
two were identical, an affirmation which
since has been fully confuted.