The Washington times., 1906-08-12
Threatens the Railroad.

Acting under legal advice. the board
proposes % quarantine all that part
OF the Baltimore aud Ohio railroad
which Jraverses Randolph county
should the company fan 10 remove shs
leper from the county.
Dr. J. C.. MCGUIRE. professor or der
marJl0Ey AT Georgetown University,
considers that Rassett has been brutal
ly treated He said.
'Ihe ignorant people could hardly
be blamed for the fear which they
exhibited. bur what excuse can the
railroad officials offer for such inhu-
man treatment when they easily could
learn that The danger Uf contracting
the disease was 60 small as % be hard
~ considered. According 20 the best
authoriues, imported cases iu Paris,
London. Vienna Berlin. New York.
Chicago. and other cities when the
disease was not endemic has never
given rise 20 others.
What is leprlsy2 It's origin is un-
known. though we can trace its history
10 the remotest ages. The disease
mentioned In the Bible as laazatd
meaning Ieprosy. IS not really the dis
ease we now know by that name.
In the fourteenth century the dis
ease was more prevalent than ever be-
fore or since Ah1ur the time OF the
discovery of America IL was on the
decline. and by the middle Of the six
ceeuch century had almost entirely dis
appeared from Europe. Today IL
found particularly in Norw-y. Sweden.
Russia. Jauan. South America. Cuba.
and the Sandwich Islands IN this
country IL has been estimated that
there are now between 800 and 500
cases. which occur more frequently N
Louisiana, California. portions OF Min
ueE0ta. and Iowa Isolated cases have
been observed IN nearly every State
in the Union i is not az all iufre-
oUent TO have such cases present them
selves az the medical clinics in New
York Chicago. Philadelphia. and other
large cities.
Twenty years ago. while attending
the medical clinics in New York city.
I recall several cases that appeared
daily as old standby cases that were
shown for the benefit Of the classes.
'Leurosy is caused by narasite
known as the bacillus Leprae. which
was discovered by Hansen in 1874 Il
str.kn~ly resembles the germ peculiar
"a. consumption and other tubercuIous
affections.
'As a disease Il cannot be inherited
that is. no child was ever born with
It, though il may appear after a Few
months Here then the question would
naturally arise as 10 whether it was
not contracted I'm the usual way, by
means Of cont ngi1n. The germ is
unique in one Nespect II cannot be
CulUv8tei. 1t can only exist in the liv-
ing tissues of the individual IN whom
il has taken Judgment.
'Lepr0sy is so slightly c0nta gious
that v.cum Of the malady might pass
his whole life i'm daily contact with his
fellows in large city without the dis
ease being conveyed 90 q single indl-
vidual As this is distinctly contrary
TO the generally accepted idea. 7 prefer
to give the opinion OF others. Prof.
StelwaE0u. professor OF dermatology
in the Jefferson Medical College. Phil
adel9hIa, and q well recognized au-
thority upon the subject, says:
There is a growing belief that the
malady Ueprosy) IS not directly con-
tagious or inocuable from man 70
man
prof. Hutchinson considers tho
cause of the disease is IN the eating OF
fish that contain the bacillus and that
il IS not contagious
As 70 Rossett, what he wants, though
nobody of course considers that, IS 10
get back 10 Syria lie is perfectly
sure that if he could bsLhe in the River
Jordan he would be healed Ii is the
old Biblical superstition. dating back
70 the times when the leper was eX-
pected as he moved through the world
% shout the warning .'Uncleani Tn
c.eanl' that the world might stand
aside and escape the contamination or
his passing Nowadays we have no
superstitions, and IL IS the world that
cries "T-ncleant Uncleani' and hustles
the unf0rtunate from pillar 10 post,
and finally leaves him stranded on a
mountaInside TO live or die as he
pleases.
Where the miserable wretch win be
sent next Is a problem. Determined
efforts are being made % have him de-
ported TO his rative country. Mean
while. his condition growing daily more
erible. he awaits the relief Of death.
additionally tortured by the knowledge
that I'm no obscure corner OF the cOun-
try to which he came 10 make his
fortune will he be allowed to die IN
peace.