The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-08-17
NEED ron A LErRosARIU1a. J

NEED FOR A LEPRO6ARIUM.
Leprosy IL one OF the oldest dis
eases OF which we have knowledge.
and about which we know relatively
little. The route OF entry of the bacil-
lus is not definitely known; the germ
Is cultivated with the greatest difh-
Guilty and exists in many strains which
present marked differences; it is not
to the lower animals and
we do not know the length Of its in
cubation period in the body of man.
The role of rodents. and insects In Its
transmission has been suspected, but
not proven. There exists no positive
means for its diagnosis in its earliest
stages: no wholly satisfactory method
of treatment has been devised; the
period Of its greatest infectivity is un-
known, yet we be- I'VE that the dis
ease is mildly contagious. We 90
know that there Is no racial immunity
to leprosy, that it exists in all portions
of the globe and that segregation ana
personal cleanliness are our oniy
weapons against 1t. The individual
and community fear of the disease Is
SO great as to amount to a veritaole
leprophobia. cere are several we'll
established centers of infection In the
United States. The disease Is slowly
but surely on the increase. and there
are probably many more cases uh-
reported than there are reported. YET
there exists no federal institution Tor
the exclusive care and reception OF
lepers IN the continental United States.
There are only two facts on which
we may lay hold for the purpose OF
the disease. says Assistant
Surgeon General w. c. Rucker or the
United States public health service. In
a recent issue of The Journal OF the
American Medical Association. These
are segregation and Cleanliness We
know that the disease exists among
those who are careless in their per-
sonal hygiene and that when these
persons are removed from intimate
contact with society. the disease dies
out The disease has been made no
tif1able in most Of the states. in three
Of which leprosaria have been estab-
lished. Each o. these treats a small
number Of lepers. but the per capita
cost OF such treatment is excessive.
Another reason why we should have
a national leprosarium is the inhuman
treatment to which lepers ere sub
jected in this country. A man marked
as a Ieper becomes q pariah. an out
cast from society. to be bounded from
place to place, to be locked up In a
lonely, often filthy. building, there to
be viewed at a distance as some wild
and dangerous animal. The unwel-
come visitor disturbs trade. and he is
hurried by night over the state line.
there to be subjected to further indig-
mites and to become q thorn in the
side Of another community, by reason
of the economic losses which his pres
ence produces. Verify the lot Of the
leper in this Christian country of ours
is sad and troubled.
From time to time. intelligent legis-
lators have introduced bills into con-
gress looking to the establishment OF
an institution in hich the unfortu
nate leper may be protected from So
ciety and society protected against
him. No one doubted the wisdom of
such a measure. but the leprophobia
of the general public is such that none
of these bills has ever been allowed
to come to a vote, because every COM
munity feared that it might be select
ed as the site for the leprosarium. 1t
was useless to say that the disease is
only mildly contagious. Tho public as
a whole has not yet learned the simple
lesson that cleanliness in all things is
our greatest bulwark against disease.
Many Of the countries Of the world
have leprosaria. Many of the coun-
tries which support such leprosaria
are far less wealthy than the United
States. We know that the number of
cases in the United States II relatively
small, and that II the disease il fear
lessly attacked now its control will be
relatively easy. 1t is true that leprosy
is a disease which spreads very slow
ly. but where it has once spread it
never recedes unless active measures
are taken.
DR.. Rucker urges the establishment
of a national hospital for lepers under
the care of the United States public
health service.
''THE CHANGING SENATE"
The senate Of the Sixty-third con-