New-York tribune., 1906-08-20
MORE LIGHT ON LEPROSY,
DR.. Ashmead Disagrees soith DR..
Fo5Cler- -GiUes Reasons.
To the Editor of The Tribune.

To the Editor Of The Tribune
Sir: Under the caption Light Upon Leprosy,' you
publish to-day in The Tribune long communica-
ton from DR.. George B. Fowler, onetne Commits
soner of Health Of New York City who claims
honor for having served such commissioner when
leprosy officially declared, through his instlga-
ton, to be a non-communicahle disease in this
climate, and for having allowed few isolated
lepers at North Brother Island ''to escape
Dr. Fowler admits that ne was responsible for
the appointment OF this wonderful unscientfc COM
mittee of the New York County Medical Society
composed. he says. OF three expert dermatoo-
gists specialists skin Diseases general prac-
titioner Of high standing and myself (himseln"
1T appointed he says. 'to report upon the
OF lepers in the United States!" This COM
mittee thereupon. without any investigation of the
subject at all, excepting IL pertained 10 the
lepers of North Brother Island and the desire of
the then reigning Commissioner Of Health to dis
charge them in the face of outraged public opinion
took the bit in its teeth to speak. and promul-
gated conclusions accordingly in direct defiance of
the scientific opinion and the conclusions Of the
Berlin Leper Conference SO soon to assemble. DR..
Fowler in his communication. says further: Dur
ing the last ten years Chat is since the lepers Of
New York were cast adrift with their sick bodies
full of disease germs) little has been heard of
leprosy in about New York City. Nor have
instances of contagiOn been reported to my knowl-
edge"
OF course not. For leprosy then declared by
this erudite Commissioner of Health be not
contagious disease. Then why should doctors re-
port nOn-contagiOus disease? A sanitary inspec-
tor who reported leprous Chinaman living in East
1O6th street rebuked by DIR. Roberts. and told
to find Cinnamon in the future. and not lepers
Lepers have gone in and out OF all our hospitals
since then without being reported to Board OF
Health I have had three in my office in one week
OF whom had received the contagion in New
York in spite Of DR. Fowler's ignorance of such a
possibility who deliberately puts cotton In
his big cars hear very we'll There are none
so deaf. they say. those who choose not to hear
Had DR.. Fowler's less large and more re-
ceptive, mechanically Willingly, his brain might
have been informed by his of addition that
DR. Dye, of New Orleans had made a FUN report
10 the Berlin Leper Conference of the leprOsy stua-
tion I'm the United States and the danger menacing
every state of the American Union. that I had
made a report TO Congress for the passage OF a
United States Leper law, DIR. Fowler. Health
Commissioner Of anything. should have heard the
report of the United States Marine Hospitals COM
mission for the investigation the spread of
leprosy in the United States II appointed by
act Of Congress In March, 1898. and made its final
report the Secretary OF the Treasury March
q, 1902. This last report signed by United
States Marine Hospital surgeons Drs. j. II. White
c. r. Vaughan and NJ. J. Rosenau.
Their conclusions (after studying the subject three
years. were the same as those of the eminent sec
retaries OF the Berlin Leper Conference Of 1897.
These last all eminent leprOlogsts Here are
their names: DR. Phineas S Abraham, of London;
Dr. j. J. Kinyoun. OF Washington Omitted States
sovernmenu; Dr.. Edward ATning, Of Hamburg