The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-03-02
rUA-TUA FOR r
what Il Said OF the Experiments With the
South American Plant.
From ne San Frdneisco Chronicle.

From the San Francisco Chronicle.
Medical men all over the world are inter-
ested In the reports from Honolulu and Tahiti
Of successful results obtained In the treat
ment OF leprosy from the active principle
OF the tua-tua shrub. The tua-tua's scien-
tlnc name Is Jatrapha cossvpifofd, and II
comes from Venezuela. Nearly three yearsago
the Department Of Agriculture sent twenty
seven OF the tua-tua plants to DR.. Carmichael
United States Marine Hospital Surgeon.
then at Honolulu. but now here. The plants
we're set out In the experiment station
grounds in Honolulu. where they fourished.
waxed green and produced many buds.
With the plants came statements from Vene-
zuela that leprosy had been successfully
treated with the extract. The shrub Ia called
In Venezuela ~frdiiejon purge. on account
OF It's ~purging qualities.
DR.. c. f. Camp. assistant In the baoteriologl-
cal laboratory Of the Board OF Health of
Hawaii. has been experimenting on lepers
in Honolulu ever since the receipt Of the
shrub. The direct effect OF the medicine
l. TO reduce the frightful dwellings which
disngure the features Of the lepers. and
which distort their eNtrcmities.
In Tahiti really wonderful. advance to,
ward the cure OF leprosy has been achieved
by the use of the shrub. but In Hawaii IL has
been dinicult 10 induce the lepers TO undergo
the treatment. The use OF the medicine Is
generally. accompanied by severe COLES
and the Kanakas will not submit to the pain,
even though a promise Is held out of a partial
cure of their terrible afliction. The fact is
that leprosy among the Hawaiians Is not
looked upon with the horror that IL possesses
for Americans and Europeans. and save for
the isolation on Molokai, which leprosy en-
tails upon its victims. the latter show little
disposition 20 do anything TO ,ameliorate
their physical condition. The lepers are
free 70 accept or refuse treatment, and can
not be forced to take the medicine. A Portu-
guese In Honolulu. who had leprosy. was
given the tua-tua, and. according to DR..
Camp, shows absolutely no symptoms OF the
disease now. .
Curiously enough the Board OF Health of
Hawaii is seemin ely unwilling to aid DR.
Camp in HIS experiments. or even to permit
him to treat those lepers under the care of
the board. President Sloggett of the board
when asked as to this. said: The Board Of
Health Of Hawaii has invariably turned down
requests TO be allowed to experiment with
leprosyi cures, We have done this because
the owners OF cures were invariably pro-
p~rietors of patent nostrums. who hoped TO
sell their manufactures by getting the Ia
dorsement OF tho board, We, OF course,
would be pleased to see the discovery Of
some cure OF leprosy. but ! doubt that any
such cure will ever be found. | have no
faith in tho tua-tua remedy"
The newspapers OF Honolulu have taken
the matter up, ard In vigorous terms have
urged that the Board OF Health give DR.
Camp every opportunity for investigating
the merits OF the tua-tua, Certainly with
more than one thousand lepers In conine-
ment I'm the islands IL In worth while doing
everything possible TO find a check for the
terrible sCourge.