Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-15
|LEPROSY DISCUSSED
Meeting of Health Officials at
the New Willard.
DELEGATES PRESENT
SURGEON GENERAL WYMAN THE
PRESIDING OFFICER.
Program of Exercises Announced in
Advance of the Introduction
Of Topics.

Leprosy was the subject discussed at the
first session of the third annual conference
of state and territorial health authorities
with the officials of the United States pub
lie health and marine hospital service, held
in the New Willard Hotel this morning.
Surgeon General Wyman of the public
health service presided, and Assistant Sur
geon General Geddings of the same SER
vice acted as secretary. Each state and
territory is by law entitled to one repre-
sentative.
The following is the list of delegates pres
ent, by states: California, DR.. N. K. Foster;
Connecticut DR.. c. A. Lindsey; District of
Columbia, DR.. William c. Woodward; In
diana, Dr. ]. N. Hurry; Iowa, DR.. J. F.
Kennedy; Louisiana, DR.. Edmond Souchon;
Maine DR.. John S. Fulton; Massachusetts,,
Dr. Charles Harrington; Michigan, DR..
Victor C. Vaughan; Minnesota, Dr. H. M.
Bracken; New Jersey, DR.. Henry Mitchell;
North Carolina, DR.. Richard Lewis; North
Dakota, DR.. H. H. Healy Ohio DR.. c. o.
Probst; Pennsylvania DR.. Benz. Lee; South
Carolina, DR.. T. Grange Simons; Texas, DR..
w. r. p Thompson; Vermont. DR.. Henry
D. Holton; Virginia, DIR. Paulus A. Irving;
Wisconsin, DR.. Q. o. Sutherland.
Program Announced.
Surgeon General Wyman announced the
program for the conference, follows:
May 15-Morning session-Discussion of
leprosy; it's prevalence, care and treatment.
Afternoon session-Discussion of typhoid
fever and it's possible prevention.
May 16-Morning sesson-Discussion of
railway sanitation,
The conference will end with a trip down
the Potomac on the revenue cutter Window
Wednesday afternoon.
General Wyman opened the discussion of
lnyNr 1Hyn To- inc no tuyn lie
been introduced at the last session of Con-
gress, one for the study of leprosy on the
Island of Molokai, Hawaii, by the United
States public health service, and the other
providing for the establishment of a ma
tional leper home in this country. where
the states might send their lepers for segre-
cation, care and treatment.
The former passed and is now a law, he
said, but the latter failed of passage in the
House, after receiving the approval of both
House and Senate committees and passing
the Senate, by reason of fear on the part
of certain sections that the proposed home
would be located near them.
General Discussion.
All delegates present then joined in a
general discussion of leprosy, during which
it was brought out that all state boards of
health represented are unanimously and
strongly in favor of a national leper home,
and regret the defeat of the bill introduced
belief that no danger would come to any
part of the country by location of such
home, and DR.. Souder cited the case of a
Louisiana leper colony, which has been ex-
listing ten years, with absolutely no sign of
any infection of surrounding territory.
Most states reported no leperS present.
DR.. Geddings read from the report of the
leprosy commission appointed by General
Wyman in 1899, in accordance with an act
of Congress. This report was published In
1902 as Senate document No 269, Fifty
seventh Congress, first session, and gives
27S lepers in the whole United States-at
that time-176 males and 1O2 females 145
American born, 100 foreign born; 1S6 hav-
ing contracted the disease in the United
States, 6S having contracted it abroad.
at that time.
The general opinion of the conference is
that danger from leprosy increases each
year, but that the establishment of a ma
tional leper home which would be made
comfortable and attractive to lepers, would
result in the reporting of all cases and
their segregation.
When this is accomplished the danger, 1t
is said, will be reduced to a minimum.
General Wyman stated that his idea is
to have colony of cottages, and perhaps
tents, in fine climate, where lepers would
be made comfortable and every means used
to better their condition, and if possible
cure the disease.
The afternoon session was called to order
at o'clock, when the subject of typhoid
faUn tax