The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-01-11

hrst very light in color, but ranidlv
t1nging darker till at last they assume
a. nue. as deep as sepia. The narta
that are discOlored are abnormaIiT
smooth, gl1stening and slightly elevated
ABOVE the surrounding skin They an
pear mostly on the trunk, but are
sometimes seen on the eXtremities. in
nearly every case in close proximity
10 the joints. But there is absolutely
no criterion, or standard, to go by
II is never known just what to expect
In case of leprosy. But in all cases
there is a constantly increasing fever
in both types of the disease-tilI ST
last the patient is literally consumed
by raging fever
There Is Little Pain.
In anesthetic leprosy things arc
slightly different. The primary sylnp-
toms are a restlessness which soon
develops into the very opposite, and
the patient becomes somnolent, morosa
and morbid. The imagination is very
active and f1ighty, and visions are seen
that one in healthy state of mind
could not conceive of by the most vio-
lent effort. Gradually, at least in the
majority of cases, this, too, wears away
and the afflicted one becomes a5mosH
insensible to all his surroundings. Tho
members become numb-all but the
faculties of seeing, hearing and nov-
degree
removed, and at the last these too, are
taken away, though the sufferer lin
gers on for some time after this takes
place. Those afflicted with this type
of leprosy feel little or no pain-An-
Decd cases are known of where thu
patient had accidentally and unc3n-
Sc1OuSly burnt his hand almost to a
crisp while working around the stove,
Pins have been driven into the flesh
for their entire depth with 10 painful
results. The reason of this is that the
nervous center is the first part, after
the prodromal state, to be attacked;
and SO rapid is the destruction of this
portion of the human organism as
compared with that of the other parts
that the ravages are but little noticed
except for this phenomenon.
Lepers of Minnesota.
AS to Minnesota.
DR.. Boeckh, who visited these parts
in 1870, reported that he found
eighteen cases, and that he had not the
slightest doubt that there were double
that number who We're hidden by their
friends. He also stated that fully four
fifths of that number had been lepers
before coming to this country. They
were, he said, all his own countrymeu,
Norwegians. And this leads UP to the
chief cause Of the origin of this most
dreadful of diseases. One of the chief
food, such as ashland especially stale
fish, such as is preferred by the French
of Lower Canada and the peoples Of
Scandinavia.
In this manner the presence CT lep-
rosy in Minnesota is easily accounted
for. and the fact that it is not spread
ing is just as easily explained Among
the first Of the Norwegian and other
Scandinavian emigrants were these
who had contracted the disease while
yet within the borders of fatherland-
who knew that such was the case,
but succeeded in passing the quaran-
tine inspection, which, at that time,
was not Of the most rigid sort. Since
their emigration the elements which
permitted Of such an ailment being
contracted, and which permitted of it
being fostered, are not met Witb-no
instances have been known among the
Minnesota lepers where they have mar
ried, and thus a very appreciate and
material decrease in their numbers has
been the result. But it is beyond all
doubt that the institution of a lazaretto,
wherein they may be cared for i'll
manner that home treatment could not
afford, is to be highly commended, and
to this end DR.. H. M. Bracken, secre-
tary of the state board Of health, Ia
working with might and main.
One peculiar matter upon which tina
researches of the commission has
thrown much light is the fact that two
lazarettos viii be absolutely essential
in the United States. Lepers from the
South, and particularly the state Of
Louisiana would survive the climate
Of the North but very short time,
and the same rule applies to the re-
moval of Northern lepers to the South.
There are about thirteen lepers at
the present time within the borders
of Minnesota known of with certainty,
and that there is at least that mum
Der, If not more, Of whom nothing Is
known. All of them are far remote
from the Twin Cities-all isolated cases
and hidden by friends in the extreme
northwestern portion of the state.