The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-07-29
Some Hard Things Said About a
Havana Hospital
WHICH SHOULD BE REMEDIED.
Rabana Post Discovers Horrible
Condition Of Affairs at the
I4eper Hospital in the
Cuban Capital.

ton or a1lllrS can eAlSU DIS QOes cAIel
in almost the heart of that city today
at San Lazaro hospital. the place
where the unfortunate people suffer
ing from that dreadful and loathsome
disease, leproSy, are kept. The Post
has heretofore published stories about
this hospital but never before has
such serious condition Of affairs been
known. Before The Post published
about the patients from the hospital
escaping and mingling with the peo-
pie in the streets. and going where
they wished to go over the city. DR..
Alfonso, the director Of the hospital,
took occasion to deny the story OF
The Post, but in an int.rview Gel
ebrated with him at the hospital a
few days ago he acknowledged that
The Post was right.
Allowing lepers to escape from the
hospital and risk the spreading of
their dead disease to other people is
bad enough, and no ceuSure is too Sc
we're for this, but it passes belief that
DR.. Alfonso and the board of mana
gers of the leper institution would al.
low people afflicted with leprosy to
marry and bring into the world chill
dren afflicted with the cause. But,
horrible as this may seem, it is true.
Some time ago two lepers named Juan
Valdes and Ricardo Martin asked DR..
Alfonso for permission to marry two
woman patients. DR.. Alfonso referred
the matter to the board Of managers,
and it is understood recommended
that permission be given. The board
Of managers gave the permission, and
the two men spent all of their savings
in fitting up two rooms in the hospital
for their brides-to-be But the news
OF the approaching marriages reached
the ears of Secretary Of the Govern
ment Yero, and the day before the
marriages were to take place and af-
ter the priest had been secured the
word came from the secretary of gov
ernment that it would not be allowed.
It was reported that marriages had
been celebrated before IN the hospital,
but this could not be verified. DR..
Alfonso was found to be very hard
man to catch in the hospital, the re-
porter having to 60 many times be-
fore the doctor could be found in In
deed, the last time he was not in and
had to be sent for. The failure Of
DR.. Alfonso to ever be in when The
Post reporter called, led to the con-
clusion that he was trying to avoid
the interview, though he was very
courteous when finally found.
The hospital is in terribly unsani-
tary condition. Words are not strong
enough to express the condition in
which The Post reporter found the
toilets. One could smell the sicken-
ing stencil long before one reached
them. No conveniences Of any kind,
not even newspapers, were in evidence.
The sanitary effects were new, haT-
ing been put in by the government OF
intervention, and their condition was
due to nothing else than neglect,
pure and simple. The most pitiful
thing about the poor people, who are
compelled to stop in this asylum, is
that young boys, who are suspected of
of being lepers are kept there and 10
the same rooms, eating and sleeping
with lepers who have been there for
years, playing games with men who
have lost their fingers and in some
cases their hands. If these children
do not develop the disease whether or
not they had it before it will not be
the fault of DR.. Alfonso or the board
of managers. There are boys there
from 10 to ii years Of aye who have
to sleep in the same ward with pa
tients who have lost hands legs, ears,
nose and eyes from the disease. What
has gone before seems incredible, but
the public will hardly be prepared for
tie news that all Of the slops from the
patients are sold to an enterprlsiDg
man for $40 dollars a month, to be
fed to hogs. Pork fed on bread scraps,
meat and soup which has been handled
and left by lepers, may not conmunl-
cate the disease to a person eating The
pork. but it has not been demonstrate
ed that it has not, and it is safe to
say that no one would eat the pork if
they knew that it had been fed on
such slops
Despite what has been said in de-
fense OF the management of the hos
pital there is no doubt in the world
that the lepers do escape from the
building and mingle when they
pleased with the general public. On
the 10th Of May two women escaped
from the hospital and were gone three
days when they returned voluntarily.
How many cases Of leprosy will result
from these two women. Of course, can
only be copjectured. The Post repor-
ter talked toa number Of the inmates
and they thanked The Post for call
ing attention to the bad management
heretofore. They themselves said
that they could leave the hospita.
whenever they chose and showed The
Post reporter how they could get over
the wall. One even asked the repor-
ter to name a day and hour to meet
him at tic office Of The Post and he
would escape and be there on time,
While talking with these patients the
reporter noticed a negro trying tx
bandage up bis leg The poor fellow
found it impossible almost to dt
SO because both OF his hands hac beer
eaten off at the wrists. The reporter
called attention to this and the reply
came that the lepers received hardly
no attention from doctors but art
simply shut up and allowed to cure
themselves if they can. When askec
by the reporter as to the location o
the doctors who are supposed to o'
connected with the institution the!
replied that they scarcely gave then