The Hawaiian gazette., 1905-11-14
CURED OF.
LEPROSil

Cured of leprosy, with his face clear
from the fearful scurf of the disease,
and with the CLASSY stare gone from his
once expressionless eyes, Louis Sinet, a
l5-year-old New Orleans boy, of Creole
parentage, has been discharged from
the Louisiana Lepers Home, as the first
leper who has ever been absolutely
cured by less than divine agency, in the
history of the world. Success has
crowned the treatment administered in
the Louisiana Lepers Camp by DR.. Isa-
dore Dyer, consulting leprologist of
the home, and the world IS authority on
leprosy.
There are fully 500 lepers abroad in
Louisiana and more than 200 walking
on the streets of New York. fThese
latter" the report states, care en-
tirely without attention by the medical
authorities of that state, who have as
serted that the disease is not con-
tagious, in spite of the world expert
ence to the contrary. These lepers are
free to walk abroad upon the streets of
the national metropolis, continually
spreading the danger of contagion to
all whom they may chance to brush
against in the course of their peregrina-
tions. No care is taken of them; there
is no place where they may receive
special treatment, and the danger is
not even recognized by the city's medi-
cal authorities.
"There are 100000 lepers in the
worlu,' said DR.. Dyer, commenting on
this report. "Nearly 100000 out of
an estimated population of 1,43s, $780,
900 souls, or / for every 500 souls.
Out of every 1000 persons that walk
the habitable globe there are two af-
fiicted with this awful and loathsome
disease, hitherto incurable.
Unbelievable and absurd these fig
ures may seem at first sight, yet their
truth is one of the most firmly estab-
lished in medical science. And this dis
ease, the most loathsome of all the af-
tlictions mankind has to endure, and
which is among the most widely spread
the sons of men have to suffer, can be
cured, and cured without spot or
blemish.
"Leprosy was first known in the first
century of the Christian era. In the
eleventh and twelfth centuries the dis
ease covered Europe Twenty thou
sand leper houses existed in 1929, there
being 1000 in France alone. The dis
ease spread over the habitable world
and was the most widespread plague
known in ancient times. As menace
to human life it so continued for six
hundred years.
"By the eighteenth century it had
practically become known in every
country of the world and forty years
ago it began to sweep over the uni
verse with terrible rapidity. In the
Sandwich Islands it's first ravages were
noted. Every corner of the world has
since received it's visitation. Japan is
full of it, India, China, Persia, the
coasts of Africa, Norway and Sweden,
Central and South America, Mexico,
Cuba, West Indies, all the islands of
the Pacific and Indian oceans, New
Zealand, Madeira and fully dozen of
the United States. The storm center is
in Louisiana, with New Orleans at the
apex.
"The figures are appalling. Twenty
thousand lepers in Japan; two hundred
thousand in India; two millions in
China, and thousands and thousands in
the Philippine Islands. The acquisition
Of the Philippines, Guam and Puerto
Rico have made the question of leprosy
an important one to the whole country.
Every one of the Philippine Islands is
infected; one-tenth of the population
of uuam is infected; in Havana there
are eleven lepers now in the Isolation
Hospital at San Lazardo. There is a |
lazaret in nearly every important city
in our new acquisitions.
"Not to the rich class does this dis
ease come. It's visitations are con-
fined to the poor and lowly, 1t is not
enough that the poor. should be poor
that they should suffer hunger in times
of want, should freeze in winter and |
elusive possession. 1t is said that there !
are probably not half dozen persons
of wealth and position in the United |
States afflicted with this disease. 1t |
attaches itself solely to the humble, as |
do its congeners, tuberculosis and
syphilis.
"And despite the worldwide prevail
ence of this terrible scourge up to 1879 |
there was absolutely no hope, beyond !
that of divine miracle, feebly held
out to the leper.
SIN contrast to the conclusions of
this last Berlin conference, which made |
the announcement of the belief that all |
treatment could be only palliative and |
not curative, and that serum treatment
is unsuccessful, DIR. Dyer has declared
that he has discovered, and is daily en-
ploying, an indisputable cure of the
disease.
"There is no secret about the pro-
cess. / am not claiming to have made
any wonderful discovery. Simply by
the application and continuation of the
methods that have been used for lep-
rosy since the disease was known, APP
plying them with scientific skill, the
disease can be cured. Eagle.
n n OF m