The Irish standard., 1906-09-08
Health to intervene and search tn,

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lilies We're reported. He made an ex-
tended report on the subject, urging
earnestly on the state that it do some-
thing to relieve these people and to
put an end to disgraceful condition
of affairs which had prevailed for a
century, The Lafourche lepers lived
beyond any settlement in the great
Gulf marsh, amid poverty and suffer-
ing, separated from their neighbors.
who dreaded them. An Italian priest,
himself a leper, attended to the relig-
ious affairs of this little colony, which
lived entirely apart from the rest of
the world.
DR.. Jones, DR.. Holt and in fact all
the presidents of the Louisiana Board
of Health reported again and again on
this subject. They pointed cut that the
disease had practically been crushed
out by the Spanish Government by the
establishment of lazaretto and the
isolation and segregation OF all lepers.
judgment. Their policy was to chase
the lepers away. with the result that
they fled to the swamps, beyond the
habitations of man, where they mar
ried and brought up leper families.
Thus it was that the Lafourche leper
colony arose. composed oc refugees
crtc hn
found peace and quiet in the swamps.
\ number of these, driven from New
Orleans, found refuge in TIE Metairie
country back of the city, now IL pros
porous suburb. but known in early
Creole days as la terre AUX lcpreux,
the lepers' land" Gable gives an
idea of public sentiment on this sub
ject in his Jean Poquc'in."
But, although the matter was press
ed upon the Louisiana legislature by
the health authorities, such was the
popular prejudice that no action was
taken until 1894, when the General As
Sembly created Il board of commission
ers of the lcpers home, CAV, 1t Il small
appropriation and endowed it with the
power to arrest and cOnfine any proved
leper in the home. The difficulties the
board encountered in establishing a
home nave been referred 20. The In
dian camp place which was finally set
tied on contained 800 acres, an old di-
lapidated plantation house and several
cottages falling to pieces.
1t was found difficult at first to in
duce the lepers to enter the home, it
was so bleak and unattractive. Then
the conditions We're improved and lep-
ers voluntarily sought the home and
there is reason to believe that every
lcper in Louisiana is now confined
within it's walls.
Thus the disease has been eradicated
in Louisiana after being allowed to
shoulder in the State for nearly Il
century and IL half. In The home at
Indian Camp, however, IL still greater
triumph was to come.
Leprosy had previously been regard
ed as incurable and because of the Of
fcnsive condition in which it left its
victims it was proclaimed the worst of
all diseases. In the Louisiana home
were collected cases in all degrees of
severity upon which it was possible to
try all remedies and modes of treat
ment. In the last twelve years 101
lcpers have been treated. SO men and
As women s negroes and % whites.
For ten years the physician tried
arsenic. Fowler's solution, cod liver oil,
chaulmoogra oil and strychnine. The
last two combined produced the best
results.
But these alone would not suffice,
and the physicians found the best
treatment one of nutrition The pa
tients were accordingly required to
take daily hot baths, to elt plainly of
wholesome food and to spend as much
of their time as possible in the open
air
In 1904, ten years after beginning
these experiments, the home was able
to announce, that 1t had cured the
first case of leprosy then known to be
cured. 1t was a boy of IL, who had
been in the home two years. Almost
doubling their own success the boy
was detained by the physicians for Il
year longer lest the disease might re-
turn, but at the end of ;hat period,
when not Il tract of it had been found
for twelve months, the boy was dis
charged as cured.
The next year, 1905. another patient
was pronounced cured. Il woman of
so, who had been admitted five years
before with her son. also I; leper. Be-
cause of the progress the disease had
already made in this case the patient
was detained Il year and Il half in the
hospital after the cure was announced,
to make sure that there would be no
return.
The son. who is "a. is improving and
will probably be discharged as cured in
a year Or two.
\ third cure was accomplished this
year, when a woman, aged 80. whose
family is of high social standing in
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