The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1903-07-31
LEPERS MARRY.
Some Hard Things Said About
Havana Hospital
WHICH SHOULD BE REMED1ED
Habnna Post Discovers Horrible
Condition of Affairs at the
Leper Hospital in the
Cuban Capital.

1t is hard to believe, that in a civi
lized community and in this day ant
age of the world that such a condi
tion of affairs can exist us does exist
in almost the heart of that city today
at San Lazaro hospital, the place
where the unfortunate people suffer
ing from that dreadful and loatllsome
disease, leprosy, are kept. The Post
has heretofore published stories about
this hospital but never before has
such a 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 20 over the city. DR..
Alfonso, the director Of the hospital,
took occasion to deny the story of
The Post, but in an interview Gel
ebratcd 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 censurc 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 j Juui1
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 hospit tai
for their brides-to-bc. But the news
of the approaching marriages reached
the ears of Secretary Of the Govern
mcnt Iero. 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 1t would not be allowed.
1t was reported that marriages had
been celebrat ted before In the hospital,
but this could not be verified. DIR.
Alfonso was found to be very hard
man to catch in! the hospital, the re-
port naving 10 gu many ines iesss;bet be:
fore the doctor could be found in. In
deed, the last time he twas 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 a 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, hav-
ing been put in by the government of
Intervention, and their condition was
due to nothing else than neglect,
pure and simple. The most pltiful
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 in
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 age 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 enterprising
man for SO dollars month, to be
fed to hogs. Pork fed on bread scraps,
meat and soup which has been handled
and left by lepcrs, may not communi-
cate the disease to a person eating The
pork, but it has not been dcmonstrat-
ed that 1t has not, and 1t Is safe to
say that no one would eat the pork If
they knew that 1t had been fed on
such slops.
Despite what has been said In de-
tense 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 goth 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 conjecturcd. The Post rcpor-
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 hospital
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 the Office Of The Post and he
would escape and be there on time.
While talking with these patients the
reporter noticed negro trying to
bandage up his leg The poor fellow
found it impossible almost to dc
SO because both of his hands had been
eaten oil at the wrists. The reporter
called attention to this and the reply
came that the lepcrs received hardly
no attention from doctors but are
simply shut up and allowed to cure
themselves If they can When asked