Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1909-09-22
White PLAGUE IS
MORE TO Be FEARED
NEW YORK SPECIALIST GIVES
HIS VIEWS ON SUBJECT.
Shows How Fear Is Engendered BY
Ignorance of the Ages Rather
Than From Scientific Knowl.
edge Of Facts.

The bringing of an alleged leper
to New York for treatment IL no
cause for alarm, declares DR.. George
Henry Fox, professor of dermatology
in Columbia University, and one of
the leading skin specialists In the
country in New York World.
Leprosy is less contagious than
consumption, he further declares,
and even II John Early, the alleged
leper. were In the last stages OF the
dreaded disease there would be no
danger to any one II ordinary pre-
cautions be taken.
DR.. Fox has made an exhaustive
study of leprosy. A few months ago
he made trip through the West In
dies and South America with DR.. Ed
ward B. Bronson, professor Of derma-
tology in the Post-G Graduate Medical
School of New York, to visit the lep-
err hospitals and study the disease as
II is found in the tropics. On this
trip he discovered many new facts
about the disease, which, In the po-
pular mind at least. Is considered
the most loathsome of all maladies.
"Leprosy Is not anywhere near as
contagious as consumption" says DR..
Fox. THE popular belief that II Is
infectious and dangerous Is largely
| caused by Impressions given by the
Bible. As q matter of fact. the dis
ease which Biblical writer's called
leprosy was not leprosy at all. Lep-
rosy Is n germ disease. and the little
micro-organisms which cause II are
not unlike the tubercle germs which
cause consumption. A person In
good health can live among the lep-
ers without running any danger of
contracting the disease. The Cath
Ollie sisters who act as nurses In the
big leper hospital at Trinidad have
been there for years, and not one of
them has ever contracted the disease
The mother superior told me that she
had been there for thirty-five years,
except for few brief vacations, and
She had never been III day. When
n person Is inclined to be sicky.
then there Is some danger OF con-
tracing 1t. The generally accepted
theory is that only constant inhal-
Ing OF these leropsy germs will
cause the disease.
| "Ieprosy when unaccOmpanied by
anything else is not any worse than
hundred other diseases, and when
taken In time can be cured. A change
OF climate, plenty OF exercise and
good food are about all that Is re-
quired.
One would naturally expect to
find the inmates of leper hospitals
very much depressed, but strangely
enough that Is far fro mthe case.
They can hardly be called cheerful.
these lepers In West Indian and
South American hospitals, but they
are at least contented. They know
that there is no cure for them, but
they accept the situation stoically.
This Is because they are low down
In the social scale and VIE practi-
cally no education or finer sensibil-
tiles. An educated man who Is af-
fiicted with leprosy becomes much de-
pressed. The disease preys on his
mind. and not infrequently he. be-
comes mentally unbalanced. The So
cial condition of the West Indian
and South American lepers is SO
poor thatthey find living In hospital
preferable to working.
while leprosy is on the increase
In those parts. there is no danger OF
II spreading to this country. Even
| II It did It could be quickly check.
ed"