The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-09-14
LEPROSY SAID TO
BE HEREDITARY
Consul at MaraCaibo, Vene-
zuela, Makes Report on the
Dread Disease.
MALADY NOT CONTAGIOUS
MAY BE CURED If PROPER FOOD
is SUPPLIED.
MALADY NOT CONTAGIOUS

Washington, Sept. 12-After displaying
rare heroism by the devotion of a life
time to study of leprosy, Eugene II.
Plumacher. American consul at Maracai-
DO, Venezuela, has decided that the dread
malady is not contagious, but is hered-
ltary to degree not reached I'm any other
disease. He has made an exhaustive re-
port to the state department. telling of
his personal attendance upon lepers af-
flicted in the most revolving form. His
report indicates that leprosy is durable.
but that there Is little hope in Venezuela
or other Latin-American colonies. where
nutritious foods and expensive drugs
rarely are provided.
Conferred With Scientists.
DR.. Plumacher was appointed to Mara
caibo in 1878, where, in jointure with his
duties as consul, ne has constantly OBJ
served leper cases and their treatment
and where he experimental in no small
way. In this he has had the benefit of
scientists of the United States and Europe
and il was through his efforts that the
'tua tua' plant. used I'm treating the dis
ease, is now planted in all countries which
these scientists, DR.. Plumacher took
many photographs of lepers, personally
removing the bandages of the afflicted.
that the best results might be attained
He was allowed to visit secretly many
Iepers in Maracaibo concealed by their
families to avoid their being sent in per-
pctual Punishment to the island.
Obtained Good Results.
Using a secret medicine which he OBJ
tanned through DR. S. G. Boutwell, now
marshal of the supreme court of Porto
Rico. he experimental with il on these
private cases. Ten lepers were given into
his special charge. These cases embraced
| both classes of the disease, the dry class.
! WI pNtr hpcOmp c1lpiniZpd
! that fingers and toes may be broken off
without pain to the patient. and the other
class. known as wet or soft leprosy, where
every part becomes purified and rOts
away leaving at last nothing but a trunk
| of a human being. His reports point out
that. the treatment produced many good
results. but that the lack of proper food
made absolute cure impossible.
Horrifying Experience.
| DR.. Plumacher in his report says that
| continued good results. he concluded he
| would rather drop the society of his
| friends of the foreign colony than to
/ abandon the lepers. Though he observed
minute care to avoid any danger from
contagion, he suffered a most horrifying
| experience in attending one of his pa
| TENTS boy at the leproSy institution
and few DAYS after the incident small
| sores appeared on his hands. but after
some months these dried up. although dis
| colored red marks remained.
From his observations of the ten cases
! the consul concluded that without plenty
| of nutritious food to build up the system
o; the afflicted there will never be. good
! results from the treatment Of the lepers
| at MaracaibO. The poor creatures there
are fed mostly on cheap fish. there be-
| ing no means to procure better food
Call of Former President.
A former president of the state in which
| MaracaibO is situated, who left the coun-
try after his administration. but after
| hu1 L.
! idence a leper sent for Or. Plumacher
who undertook the treatment, aided By
the patients handsome young wife, who
! attended him faithfully. AS the patient
was able to buy the most nutritious food
! his Improvement was rapid and ultimate
| recovery appeared certain. But when the
| consul went TO see his patient the next
| time the wife was in tears and the pa
/ tent a broken down man. The patient
| had been informed that inside of two
days he was TO be removed to the leper
| island. During his presidency he had
| made many enemies. and after his return
| to Venezuela these enemies were i'm DOW
| er- While he was known as an incurable
| leper they had let him alone, but as soon
! as il was reported that he would be well
! again these enemies purposed to destroy
and humiliate him by sending him into
everlasting Punishment
Committed Suicide.
When Dr. Plumacher offered to inter-
] cede and explain to the authorities that
/
patient shook his head and said:
mo. My enemies know / am better and
| hopeful and now they send me to the
island. three miles from the city. to he
| baniShed for my life. seeing daily before
me the beautiful city which / embel-
| lished, hearing the bells ring from the
| churches | helped to adorn hearing
bands playing on the plaza seeing the
| city lighted in the evening and even
seeing my own dear house and vet to he
| an outcast forever. No. consul my enc
mics shall not triumph over me They
/ shall not dispose of their former presi-
| dent. / shall do so myself"
| Two days later the people Of the tate
| of Zulia heard that their former presi-
| dent had suddenly died.
81 know the cause of his death" saws
! the consul, land ] am glad he cheated his
| enemies"
{ Not Contagious.
! Or. Plumacher concludes his report bv
| saying:
! what leprosy is do not yet know
! but our people at home should be on
! lightened through the press that il is
| cruel to shun and abandon a poor suffer-
! ing human creature because ne is a T,aZ-
I atus. Smallpox is much more contagious
| | will cheerfully attend to any class of
! leprosy. but smallpox makes me shudder
! ! would. if allowed, make the selection of
storming battery rather than go to ex-
! anime a smallpox patient
| The report gives statistics showing the
| alarming number of lepers in the repub-
! lies of Colombia and Venezuela.
/