Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-01
May Serve to Get Money for
National Leprosarium.
AN APPEAL TO CONGRESS
With John r. Early So Near Them,
Legislators May Act.
TURNED DOWN BILL ONCE
But Local Health officials and Gen.
Wyman, Sanguine of Success,
Will Renew Efforts.

The ill wind that struck the District
when John r. Early, the leper. turned
up here is going to blow good to some
body, as all i'll winds do, according to the
old adage. Local and national health Of
ficers say his permanent residence here
will have much to do with the establish
ment of a national leprosarium for the
isolation and treatment of leprosy.
The public health and marine hospital
service has been seeking legislation OF
this nature for three or four years with
out any success, but the health author1-
ties of Washington believe that when the
members of Congress come to town for
the next session and realize that leper
is in the community with them, although
safely isolated. they will lose little time
in enacting the legislation desired by Gen.
Wyman of the marine hospital service.
DIR. Fowler. in charge of the contagious
disease service of the District. and Henry
Clay Mclean. acting health officer. are
both of the firm belief that this country
should have national institution 10
treat and isolate such cases.
When bill was introduced in 1905 it
was favorably reported on in both houses,
but failed of enactment when the MEM
bers for the states mentioned as the pos
sible location of the institution got busy
with their objections. Objections were
made by all the localities in which it was
contemplated the leproSarium should be
established The bill did not name any
state or territory, but simply provided
that some abandoned military or naval
reservation should be used 1t was gen.
orally understood. however. that the au-
thOrities had New Mexico in mind as the
most desirable location. The delegate
from that territory was not slow in max
ing known the opposition.
Efforts Will Be Renewed.
Dr. Fowler and Acting Health Officer
Mclean say there is no question about
the efforts for this legislation being re-
newed at the next session. The public
health and marine hospita! service will
lead the fight. and will be assisted by
the medical fraternity throughout the
country. The local health department
will also aid. Those interested in the
legislation will be prepared to supply all
the statistics and arguments necessary 10
aid in procuring proper consideration of
the bill
The statistics are. however, not very
recent. as they do not approach any
nearer the present time than 1901. In
that year commission composed of sur
geons connected with the bureau made a
thorough investigation into the question
of leprosy in the United States. finding
that at that time there were 27S cases in
the whole country and that they were
scattered through twenty-one states. OF
the states. Louisiana led the list with 155
cases. or more than half the entire num-
Der. California and Florida followed
with twenty-fOur cases each, Minnesota
with twenty and North Dakota with six
teen. The remaining cases were found
sets. Mississippi. Missouri, Montana, Ne
vada, New York. Oregon, Pennsylvania,
south Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin. OF
all these cases only seventy-twO were
isolated. The commission was clearly
Of the opinion that it's report did not
cover all the cases. and the opinion was
expressed that many Of them were pur-
posely hidden. Still, the members were
convinced that the number was not
large. and the country was congratulated
mission strongly recommended the iso-
lation and confinement Of all cases be.
cause Of the loathsome and dangerous
character of the disease and because of
its contagious tendencies.
145 Born in United States.
1t was found that AS of the 27s pa
tients had been born in the United States
and 40 in foreign countries while the
nativity of the remaining thirteen was
unknown; 176 were males and 1O2 fe-
males. OF the total number 1856 were rep
resented to have contracted the disease
in the United States. but the commission
manifested an indisposition to accept this
statement. which was strengthened by the
fact that it was found that many of the
victims had visited either China, Ha-
vail or the West Indies. In presenting its
report the commission included the gem
eral recommendations of the interna-
tfonal leprosy conference for the isolation
of all cases of leprOsy as the best method
Of preventing the spread of the disease
1t was also recommended that two insti-
tutions one in the north and another in
the south. should be established.
In the absence of Surgeon General Wy
man no one connected with the public
health service will undertake to say posi-
lively that the leprosarium bill will be re-
but many of them incline to the
opinion that it will be, because Of the ne
cessity for protecting the general public
and for dealing with leprosy victims on
humanitarian grounds, and also because
of the difficulty and expense entailed upon
individual states in properly caring for
them.
Examined by Pension Officials.
Medical examiners in the service of the
persion office visited Early at his camp on
the Eastern branch yesterday and ex-
amined him relative to the pension from
the United States government he applied