New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-09-27

sui Sci BerIiner recently made report 20 our
State Department leprosy I'm the Canary Islands
lsis opinion was that the disease is endemic among
the people OF the Canary Islands on account OF
shcir eating great deal Of FISH. In a private letter
"a me. dated August IS 1907 he writes that he
could have MADE my position much stronger on the
point had he wished. I beg 10 say here that this
belief is common in many leper oOuntries-even the
medical authorities indorse it-that fish and lep-
rosy have some correlation. Jonathan Hutchinson
the distinguished dermatologtst OF London, and
myself the principal c0mbatsnts for the theory
OF an insidious connection between FISH and propa-
cation of leprosy. Since the Middle Ages leprosy
has progressively declined IN Europe. excepting In
the FISH eating countries. Norway. Spain. Portugal
the Baltic States 81 Russia. lseland. the hsh eat
ing provinces OF France. stiI have leproEy. and
leprosy scourges tho fish eating countries OF Asia.
sapan Ceylon and China. where buddhism makes
Laws against taking animal life. Mr.. Hutchinson
believes solely IN the FISH Authorization theory
believe that u is Authorization Of FISH which
produces leprosy but that fish and mosquitoes COR
other insects together as Intermediary hosts
for the transference 81 the bacllary spores; that
MOSQUITOES which have sucked the blood or us
Changes OF lepers are afte-ward eaten by FISH and
that this fish when eaten uncooked VIII propagate
the disease
7 have Described the features of this theory Of
Transmission 81 leprosy On leper countries. OF
course: IN countries where there arc no lePers the
FISH may remain healthy. and have already pre-
scented Il in numerous articles which have oeeh
published in Norway. England Germany ana
France Moreover. the manner in which many
cases of leprosy have been contracted IN insect
countries ike Colombia South America, and Japan
sineularly agrees with the theory which J. In COM
mon with some other leprologsts, entertain as 10
the origin OF the spread OF leprosy. Jonathan
Hutchinson. who recently returned from lnola' re-
ports now that is the lack OF salt necessary Ior
the cure Of fish IN that country that causes 50
much leprosy there. Not SO long ago he returned
from investigating the mode Of diffusion OF ieIross
IN British South Africa. Then he believed that 1ne
disease could be cured by reconstruction OF REQ
blood corpuscles with remedies such as arsenic a
liberal diet and abstinence from fish He also De
lieved from his recent study Of the causes OF
leprosy that its primary cause is the eailng ol
badly cured sal Ash which is sent Inland from the
west and south coasts OF Africa 10 the taiHiei'
and Industrial centres.
Consul Borliner. 81 the Canary lslands tDailais
Island leprosy came from Africa, also Iepoi's
tint leprosy is due TO eating putrid hsh ana 10
general uucleanliness.' Neither OF these men
thinks that FISH operates in the Transmission 81
leper germs as an Intermediary host. as believe
but that is Authorization pure ana simple lI
rrouaeates leprosy ] offer proof against THIS
false hypothesis the following Stem 81 fact which
7 lave just received from DIT Greenfield. com
retert leproogist % London hospital, and super
iutsudeut now q the Mission 20 Deep Sea Fisher
men operating 81 Labrador He found there
people dying Of cancer, dropsy and scurvy who
had never seen a physician. but no leprosy. Yet
thcv live on FISH Perhaps n one leper was trans
ported there he might through the mosquito life
% that latitude. coutaminate the FISH and thus
Ieprosy would be propaEated TO the inhabitants
That would be a confederation OF my theory OF in
termediary host functions Of FISH and mosquitoes
IN tie transmission o. the disease. Here is the
letter OF Dr Greenfield:
Mission Hospital ship StrathconR
on North Newfoundland, May. 1902
Dear Sir: Our dilatOry post has brought me
letter from YOU asking about leprosy ana dated
September 1901 ~ I had any Information 20 af-
ford YOU ] would be only too glad 10 do 50. have
leprosy in Norway, and. II ] remember rightly.
also IN Iceland. and ] had two cases under my care
iu the London Hospital London. England some
ffteen years ago. but 20 the best 81 my knowledge
leprosy among this population. who poor and
who live on fish. Yours faithfully.
WILFRED GREENFIELD
Hutchinson's theory % transmission Of leprosy by
nsh almentator. without consideration OF the
bacillus reminds OF the ole explanation OF the
spelling Of Nebucadnetzar as Jacob thus:
''Ne'=DupleK negatio sflrmet: ergo ia"
''Bucad'=Abjcitur.
'Tzar'-Mutatur IN Cob:
NJ Jacob"
The same loose method OF reasoning is applicable
10 the spelling % leprosy Ash" by Jonathan
Hutchinson; that n Is aliment and not
Intermediary host that fish propagates the disease