The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-07-30
A REPORT
ON LEPR0SY
Federal Commits.
sion Submits
Its Facts.
900 CASES ON
THE MAINLAND
Washington City Has at Least One
Subject Strange Case of
a Divine.

WASHINGTON, July 15.-Drs j. H.
White, George Tully Vaughn and NJ. J.
Rosenau, three surgeons of the marine
hospital service, appointed about two
years ago under authority of an act of
Congress approved March 2, 1899, to make
a full investigation of the subject of
leprosy in the United States, have prac-
tically completed their work, and within
report to the House and Senate when
those two bodies shall have reconvened.
This report will set forth some in
teresting and to many some rather start
ling facts and information concerning
the prevalence of the disease of leprosy
in this country, for it will show that the
ailment prevails here to an extent not
generally appreciated 1t will in all
likelihood show that there are nearly 900
cases in the United States. Furthermore
as stated today on most reliable author
ity, it will say that there is at least one
case if not more in the city of Washing
ton, while in other large cities there are
numerous cases known to and under the
surveillance of the medical profession.
Westinghouse, however, need feel no
alarm upon this score, for there Is not
the slightest possible Danger of the COM
munication of the disease here-at least
under present circumstances-for this
city is especially regarded by experts
upon the subject the one community
of the world least susceptible to leprous
contagion.
CONDITIONS IN THIS CITY.
A surgeon of the marine hospital ser
vice stated to a Star reporter today that
under ordinary conditions-such as exist
in Washington, for lnstance-there is at
least one hundred times more danger in
contracting consumption than there is
in falling a victim to the contagious
ness of leprosy. All the circumstances
tending to encourage the inception and
dissemination of leprosy lacking in
this city, such as poor sanitation, bodily
uncleanliness, impure food and other
general conditions conducting to bad
health, so that while other cities, such
as San Francisco and New Orleans es-
pecially the Iatter-may be justified in
viewing with some degree of alarm the
constant increase of the disease within
| these localities, Washington is to all
practical purposes immune.
| Contrary to the general belief, leprosy,
| while contagious under ordinary condi-
| tons is not necessarily that sort of a
disease. Officials of the marine hospital
| service declare that there is no >>oubt
| that hundreds of persons walking about
| the streets today are afflicted with the
disease, and that so long as they are
| clean personally, inhabit residential loca-
tions provided with adequate sanitary
arrangements and consume wholesome
food, the danger of communicating the
disease to others is reduced to the veriest
m m a rna hOSnita1 surgeon
today cited the instance of the pastor of
a very prominent church of the country
the exact location of which was not
defined-who is suffering from leprosy.
This man, it is stated shows none of
the outward effects of the disease. He
breaches to his flock every Sunday visits
members of his congregation every day
and participates in many of the social
functions of his city. His blood is ino-
culated and the disease is in him prob
ably for life, but it is not outwardly
perceptibe. 1t is a case of man who
takes good care of himself, and com
petent authorities state that so long as
he continues to do so and lives a clean,
wholesome life generally, there is prac-
tically no danger of any one of his fell
low beings falling victims to the dis
+ AN EXPERTS VIEW.
An official of the marine hospital ser
vice who is an expert on the disease was
interviewed this afternoon on the sub
ject. He said
'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. It is not generally
known fact, but it is nevertheless true
that leprosy is not an absolutely incur
able disease. Cases have been caught
! in their incipiency and have yielded to
| treatment, but these, it is true, have
been rare and numerically of infinitesi-
NAL proportion to the sum total of cases
recorded. Leprosy is a contagious dis
ease in one sense of the word, but it is
not so in the same meaning that small
| poX, scarlet fever and other similar dis
eases are contagious. man may be
| leprous and communicate the bacilli to
neighbor or companion, yet if he takes
what are the simplest of precautions
there is virtually no danger of such
commUnica ton. In fact, consumption is
disease which is vastly more communi-
cable.
1.-THE causes of leprosy rest principally
| in the direction of bad sanitation, poor
and unwholesome food, abstinence from
the bath and the overcrowding of popu-
lation such as occurs in our large cities.
Every man, woman and child on earth Is
susceptible to the disease. Tt prevails
and has prevailed for hundreds of years
| in the countries of the white, the black
and the yellow man, and will continue to
| do SO until civilization teaches the en-
| tire world to live properly, or until every
one on earth has the means to live thus.
| The consumption of fish as food is
dangerous in this connection when such
| food is not healthy and wholesome. In
countries where the people live princi-
pally upon fish and where tie product
| is frequently in foul condition the dis
ease is greatly encouraged. Neither hot
nor cold chimes may be considered as
affording encouragement, as investigation
| has shown that climatic conditions have
| little or no bearing upon the subject
Leprosy prevails. in short, In every zone
upon earth.
| PECULIAR COURSE OF THE DIS
EASE.
1.-The course of the disease is rather a
peculiar one. Sometimes the victim lives