Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-30
WILL LAZARO HOSPITAL


tai for forty-fve years and ms appeal
ance is sickening. He has Lut one ear
and part of that is gone. He has no toes
his feet being only huge swoilen SLID arr
to impede him in the slightest All the
fingers of his right hand are gone ano
on his left hand there remains only the
first joint of his little finger. With mat
one Joint bent back to meet his wrist IN
a marvellous contOrtion he was holding
a cigarette, which he puffed with evident
enjoyment. 80,
'Hello." he said as he approached. Il
for tobacco" And then. as If in payment
for the coin thrown him. he showed with
apparent enjoyment his left ankle. which
was beginning to turn the dead Whlte
which announced that soon he would neeo
a crutch to replace his foot.
A Family of Lepers.
Juan, the doctor said, was one of three
children born of leper couple and in
the hospital. The first child, girl. had
shown signs of leprosy at the age of ten,
and had died five years later. In Juan
no traces of the disease had been dis
covered until he was seventeen. The
third child. a girl, had been retained in
the hospital under observation for twenty
one years. and then. no signs of the dis
ease having appeared, was released and
had married. That was twelve years
ago.
Today she is the mother of two chill
dren. one of whom, a bright-faced boy of
seven, is in the hospital as leper. while
the other is apparently normal.
Juan took upon himself the office Of
guide during the tour through the mems
quarters. regaling the visitors the while
with his broken English. which. he eX-
planned. he had learned from a Jamaica
.eper who had died only few months be-
fore.
Here we are he said, as they entered
he quarters. Look.
Save for the extreme cases which were
given private rooms. the lepers were
chartered in one large dormitory. fur
nished with small enameled iron cots
about four feet apart. All through the
room leperS spraWled about on their beds
and on the floor. preferring, 1t seemed, to
lie stretched at full length rather than use
the small straightforward chairs which
were beside every bed.
Some were playing cards. Others were
deep in a game of dominoes. but the ma
jority lay silently idle, smoking and gaZ-
ing at the ceiling with unwavering eyes.
Just off the mems quarters is the Jail.
and here. tried and sentenced by a eper
of the hospital are confined as punish
ment for their rare infractiOnS OF the
rules.
Through this jail the visitors walked. a.
though it held no prisoner at that time.
and then the doctor took a huge iron key
which he had been carrying, unlocked
gate in the wall and passing through.
the womens quarters were reached.
They, too. were in large dormitory.
but numerous pillows Of their own max
ing lay all about. and beautifully en-
brOidered pieces of their own designing
and working decorated the whitewashed
walls and stiff-backed chairs, making
the place seem far more habitable.
Fully half of the women were even at
the moment engaged on embroidery work.
some making doilies. others making altar
cloths. and not a few working the rough.
miserable duck garments. which were
given them by the hospital authorities.
with wonderful designs The others sat
about combing and brushing their hair
the one mark of beauty left undisf1gured
by the disease.
All were smoking with quite as much
enjoyment as had the men.
From the women's quarters the chapel
was reached-a large room in which the
lepers daily worship under the guidance
Of five Catholic sisters who NAL Ike the