Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-07-22
ANCIENT HUMAN MALADY
LEPROsY ONE OF THE OLDEST
AFFLICT1ONs OF MANKIND.
Dispute a. to Place of Its Origin
Common i'm Europe Cen
turtles Ago.

! From the Philadelphia Inquirer.
1t has been officially reported that there
| are nearly nine hundred lepers in the Unit
| ed States, and it appears from the express
sions of opinion which this statement has
| elected that the circumstance thus dis
| closed is generally regarded with surprise
| and with feeling not far removed from
| CONSERVATION. There is no justification for
| either sentiment. Leprosy, which Is one
| of the most ancient Of human maladies, ex-
! lists in every quarter of the world. It's
| place of origin has always been a subject
| of dispute, but whether it came, as some
| insist, from the valley Of the Nile or from
| far eastern Asia, it has always been most
| prevalent in the orient and it is from there
| that the contagion has proceeded. 1t had
reached Europe early in the Christian era
and it had lost much of it's vfrulence and
extension when its dissemination was enor-
mously stimulated a consequence Of the
crusades. After that it became terribly
prevalent, and 1T is well authenticated
fact that In France alone in the year 1226
there were 1000 leproserieS or establish
! ments where lepers were confined and
treated.
One Million Lepers.
At the present time 1t is estimated that
the number of lepers in the world is about
one million. AS will be supposed, by far
the most Of these are Asiatics. They are
especially numerous in China In the single
province of Kians-si they are believed to
number not less than 1900. There are
10000 in Fokfen and Kouang-tong and 12,-
600 in Yun-nan. Their number in India and
its feudatory states is estimated at 10000
There are 5000 in Burmah and 5000 or
whereabouts in Egypt. They are also nu-
merous in South America The great prov
ince Of Brazil is particularly afflicted in
this way. and In the states Of Colombia
out OF a population Of some three and a
half millions the lepers number nearly
10000. That they also abound in the Ha-
waiian Islands is we'll known. In thirty
three years. since 1866, the native popula-
tion has declined from 5S,76 to $4,000.
largely in consequence of the ravages of
this disease and within that period 5000
unfortunates have been sequestered by the
government on the Island of Molokai.
In Europe the extension of the disease
has been greatly reduced by the stringent
and systematic application of sanitary
measures, but it has not yet been stamped
three and four hundred lepers in
France. of whom about half are residents
of Paris. to which city they have gone for
treatment. England, although in constant
communication with so many countries
where leprosy is endemic, has been able
entirely to avert the contamination and in
that country the malady Is practically nom
existent. In the thirty years from 1868 to
1898 the number Of imported cases which
came under the observation Of the officials
is stated to have been ninety-six. There
are some centers of the contagion in Spain
One of these is in the province of Alicante
where Its origin has been clearly traced to
a single individual. who brought the con-
tagion there in 1850. 1t spread to two hun
dred persons in a few years, and in 1887
one hundred and fifty of them were still
living. It is thought that there are about
a thousand lepers in Portugal. There are
several hunderd in Italy, and it is said that
more than six hundred walk the streets Of
Constantinople and live by begging.
Experience of Norway.
The experience of Norway furnishes an
encouraging demonstration Of the effective
ness Of sanitary measures in the suppress
sion of the disease when they are vigorous
ly and vigilantly applied. In 1856 there
were counted more than 5000 lepers in
Norway. Dr. Hansen. the discoverer of
the bacillus which causes the maIady. in
duced the government to decree the isola-
ton Of the afflicted in special asylums, of
which five were to be provided BY
1880 the number of the afflicted had been
reduced to 800 Today it does not exceed
$50, and three Of the five hospitals have
been closed. A recent writer, after describ-
Ing the three ways OF treating Ieprosy
namely, by letting it alone, by imposing
upon the patient 4 modified degree Of so-
lation and by making the isolation Of the
leper obligatory and permanent, observes
that the extreme type Of this latter meth
cd. the method which In fifteen years
caused to disappear the epidemic which
was ravaging Norway, Is presented by the
practice of the United States than which
no more severe regime exists.
If there are those who have been alarmed
by the announcement that there are 800
lepers in this country they may reassure
themselves. There is no danger that the
malady will be allowed to spread and COM
pared with that Of many other countries
our position in this respect is very SUI
perior one.