Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-06-22


The public health service has urged that
1t be given authority and funds to es-
tablish hospital for leprosy, and a bill
Tor that purpose Is now pending in Con-
gress"
May Be 500 Lepers In q. s.
Regarding the spread of the disease
throughout the country she continues:
New Orleans. San Francisco and GER
tain portions Of Minnesota, Wisconsin and
Iowa are the places where leprosy is
chiefly to be found in this country, but
isolated cases have been found In almost
every state. Occasionally patients an
pear at clinics in Chicago, Philadelphia,
mated that the number Of lepers in the
United States is between 200 and 500
Much concern has recently arisen as to
the control OF the disease, and the sub
France and other countries.
Dread and horror of leprosy are CEN
tur1es old. Old Hebrew laws against II
are impressed on our minds by touching
Incidents in the life Of Jesus and the
Bible stories convey the idea that leprosy
Is the most loathsome Of diseases 1t is
usually mutilating and disflgurine. but no
more so than some forms Of cancer. In
early stages 1t is SO far from loathsome
that 1t Is often supposed to be some HARM
less skin disease until the patient comes
into the hands Of a specialist Sometimes
the specialist decides that the only merci-
full thing to do is to keep the diagnosis a
secret. for he knows the cruel fate which
Is In store for leper at the hands Of the
public.
Every now and then we are shocked to
read in the papers report from some
part Of the country telling of the dis
covery of leper and of the extraordinary
means taken by the community to pro-
tect itself against contagfon. Sometimes
lonely cabin is selected and the patient
put there to pass his life In solitary con-
finement seeing no one but the man who
brings him food. deposits 1t at a dis
tance and hurries away for fear of
breathing the infected air. More than
one such victim Of popular ignorance has
killed himself rather than endure life
body with more pity or intelligence than
the general public undertakes to care for
leper he runs the risk of sharing his
patients ostracism. A few months ago
the Chicago papers were full Of the story
Of young woman who had been nurse
in leper hospital had tried to come back
to ordinary life and found to her dismay
that she was an object of fear to every
one. and that there was no course open
to her but return to the lepers.
Leprosy Not Highly Contagious.
"Leprosy is not highly contagious; it
is not carried In the air; in most cases
there has been close contact with a leper
over a long period of time before the in
lection was acquired, and even then In
lection could have been prevented.
"A recent bulletin of the public health
service contains a report of series of
studies made in Molokai, an island of
the Hawaiian group. which has long been
used as a leper colony. Father Damien
first made 1t famous. Now 1t is under
the control Of our public health service,
which maintains physicians and labora-
tories there. so that the lepers are given
the best of medical care. At the same
time they are allowed to live as ordinary
human beings, with their husbands or
wives, and their children. so that there
is no isolation, no pesthouse system.
THE report takes up the question of
in the settlement who have come in more
or less close contact with lepers. AS the
disease takes SO long to develop. the ply
sicians did not take into consideration
any one who came to the settlement after
1903 Two classes Of persons had to be
considered. First. the so-called kokuas,'
clean persons who have lived with lepers
in close relationship, usually as husbands
or wives. sometimes as mothers or sis
tiers: and second. those who came In less
members of nursing and religious orders.
THE territorial board OF health is
by law to permit clean adult
to accompany a leper to the settlement.
Upon the death of the leper. or for other
reasons, the kokua may leave the settle
ment, after a physical examination to de-
termine freedom from leprosy. II ire
ouently happens, however, that the per-
son remains and marries another ieper:
Usually these kokuas have no dread OF
vr;x xhn
Few Develop Leprosy.
1.-The examination Of 119 male kokuas,
of whom were married to
lepers. showed that five had developed
Ieprosy These five were all husbands OF
iepers. Among the twenty-one who lived
with lepers. but not in conjugal relation.
none developed it.
Among the women the figures were
very similar. Four out Of eighty-three
women married to lepers became infected
with the disease. one out of tWenty-three
living with lepers other than husbands.
This one was mother. taking care Of
her leprous son.
These ten persons developed the DIS
ease after periods of exposure ranging
from three years, the shortest, to twelve
wears On the other hand. twenty-one of
those who have not developed the disease
have been in the colony between five and
THE percentage of contagious, then, is
between four and five. and low as this is.
it is probably higher than is actually
true for about per cent Of the general
native population OF the islands develops
leprosy Therefore. some OF these may
have been infected outside.
Once CHARTERED With Lepers.
"The members of the second class are
all caueasians. and include priests.
franciscan sisters. brothers of the
Order of ST. Francis and others who