Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-02-16
Experts Say From 800 to
1000 PIague-Ridden Peo-
pie Are at Large.
ADVOCATE SEGREGATION
UNDER FEDERAL CONTROL
Health Officers and Those Acquaint-
ed With Disease Continue Pleas
for Institution.

! Federal experts and health officers of
the District of Columbia are to give
further testimony this afternoon regarding
the need for national leprcsarium at
the continued hearing before the Senate
quarantine.
The experiences of the District health
office i'll it's dealings with John Early, the
most oted leper in the country, and the
lessons it has learned regarding desirl-
bility of combining such victims in ma
tional institution, where they will cease to
be menace to society. will be laid before
the Investigating committee.
Senator Ransdell, chairman of the COM
mittee and author of the bill calling for
an appropriation of S25O,0O0 for such a
home, has personally interviewed John
Early on the subject and mas a message
from MN to the committee strongly urg
ing the need for a national leprosariu,n.
DR.. w. {. Rucker of the public health
service and DR.. George w. Mccoy, surgeon
general and director of the famous leper
colony at Molokai, in the Philippines, are
the federal officials who are to be heard
this afternoon. DR.. William c. Woodward,
District health officer, and Dr. j. j. Kin
youn, District bacteriologist, are to speak
for the health board of the National
Capital.
Lepers Constitute Menace.
Hearings on this subject continued all
day yesterday. during which it was
brought out in testimony by experts
from that from 500 to 1000 lepers in the
United States constitute a menace of
serious possibilities unless proper steps
for segregation are taken.
The witnesses, all of whom had made
extensive personal researches on the
subject, agreed that the 300 persons un-
DER treatment in the country's three
ed less than one-third of the total of
tnose afnicted. They declared that the
disease was rapidly spreading; that the
Danger OF serious epidemic was real,
ana That segregation was the first de-
mand In the campaign against it,
Lepers Free in Big Cities. .
1t was the consensus of opinion
among those who testified that about
nifty lepers are a arge in Nef York civ
eighty in Chicago and at least one or
two in each of the large cities through
OUT the country. They declared in ar
guins Tor a national asylum that indi-
Vlouai victims were treated in MANY
instances with great inhumanity by local
authorities. interested chiefly in shifting
munity. So'-
Dr. J. ". Mexican. American SUPER
intendent in charge of the Ieper asy-
ium at Chiengmai, Siam, said at the
afternoon session that the history of
Inc me disease showed that only by fore
and the lives of its victims made toler-
able. WIZ
In Europe years ago the victim was
sent INTO perpetual isolation till death
carried him away
In Hawaii. the witness said. the dis
ease had been arrested and is in a fair
way of being extinguished This was
accomplished by segregation.
Experts testified that all the known
cases in the United States were trace
able to one Of four sources: China, the
Philippines, Hawaii or Key West
Frederick Hoffman, an insurance
statistician, who said he had studied
the disease in most Of the leper col
onies In the world, declared leprosy
was much greater menace to pub
lie health than commonly assumed.