The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-07-11
LEPERs IN THIS COUNTRY.
The Surgeon General Not Yet Ready
to Publish the Report


The Surgeon General Of the Marine
Hospital Service is not yet ready TO pub
fish the results thus far obtained under
his direction in the attempt to enumer-
ate the known cases OF Ieprosy in the
United States, as the returns are far from
complete But sufficient material mas al
ready been secured by the experts who
have been diligently investigating for the
last two years to indicate that there are
at least LOCO lepers in this country, most
Of them immigrants from abroad, and to
warrant strong Recommendations to Con-
gress for their segregation The com
mission, consisting Of Surgeon J. H
" hite, chairman, and Passed Assistant
Surgeons G. T. Vaughn. and NJ J. Rose
nau, have been working under Congress
iouaI authority since 1899. making scien-
tjtic investigation of the extent of the
disease in America They sent circular
letters TO physicians, health officers, hos
pital suDerintendents. and others in 800
localities. covering the entire country,
asking for reports and information re
garding Ieprosy patients. Eight thousand
circulars have been sent out, and only >
613 replies have been received. From. these
81 lePers have been located and their
names and addresses obtained About 100
are known to live in New Orleans. many
of whom are weII-to-do persons of good
families
In Minnesota about twenty cases have
been reported the disease there being
found mostly among the ScandiuaviaHs
living in the rural districts In New York
seven cases have been reported, while IN
Chicago only three have been foand 50
far In San Francisco fifteen cases are
known. twelve of which are confined in
the pesthguse- There are fifteen in North
Dakota, and only two in South Dakota
In New Mexico there are at least q dozen.
and Baltimore reports three cases The
remainder are scattered throughout the
country Owing TO the fact that three
fouths Of the circulars have brought no
replies, especially from suspicious dis
tricts. the authorities estimate that only
about oue-fourth OF the cases Of leprosy
have been reported.
The commission VIII almost certainly
recommend TO Congress In its forthcom-
ing preliminary report in December that
national Iabarettos be established in
several parts Of the caHntry-one per
haps AZ New Orleans one IN New Mexico
and another in Minnesota OF Montana
4 generous appropriation viii be asked,
large enough to cover the erection of fine
isolated buildings attractiveiy equipped
with every Imaginable convenience for
the comfort and pleasure of the sufferers
By. this means II Is hoped to overcome the
general aatipathy to isolation Of the dis
eased, and thus remove the greatest OBJ
stacIe in the way OF preventing the dis
ease from spreading
Not the least interesting result accom-
pIished by the investigation Is the con-
viction Of the experts that notwithstaHd-
patients in the United States and the in
crease in the last decade, there is little
ground for alarm. They are assured that
the disease Is not so fatal or 50 readily
transmitted by cOntagion. Infection. or as
sociation as tuberculosis 1t has also
been shown that cases are not uncom-
mon where Icpers are temporarily cured
by couple OF years treatment Under
ordinary conditions such as exist in New
York for instance, in the opinion of the
experts. there is at least hundred times
more danger Of contracting consumption
than there IS of falling a victim 10 the
c0ntagiou Of IeProsy-
One Of the officials OF the Marine Hos
pitaI Service VINO Is familiar with the
subject said today:
-LeprOsy is a wonderful disease. and
the report from this bureau which is to
go to Congress within few months will
contain a vast amount Of knowledge Of
public interest 1t Is not a generally
known fact, but it is nevertheless true.
that leprOsy Is not an absolutely incur
able disease. Cases have been caught IN
their HIcipiency and have yielded to treat
meut, but these. il Is true, have been rare
and numerically OF inlinitesimaI proper
ton 10 the sum total Of cases recorded.
LeproSy IS cGnta giCHS disease IN one
sense Of the word. but it is not so in the
same meaning that smallpox, scarlet fe-
Yer, and other similar diseases are cOuta-
gioUs- A man may be teprous and com
muuicate the baciIi to a ueighbOr or
companion yet II he takes what are the
simplest of precautions there Is virtually
no danger Of such communication. In
fact. consumption Is disease which IS
vastly more communicable
The new possessions Of the United
States are especially adapted 10 the
spread Of Ieprosy. The Philippines in
particular. are always in prime condition
for the birth and growth of the disease.
and there are hundreds Of cases there
which viii necessarily have to be attend
ed to by our Government In Cuba and
Porto Rico, however. the disease Is not
50 general