The Oklahoma miner. [volume] (Krebs, Okla.) 1912-192?, 1921-09-01

a cure for leprOsy? 1t is too soon to
say, since there is no test on which
a positive utterance in the affirmative
can be given. But this much has been
shown cOnclusively:
Chaulmoogra oil contains one or
more agents which exert a marked
therapeutic action in many cases Of
leprosy. There have been many ap-
parent cures. Are they real and per-
mancnt? That remains to the seen.
But it is evident that modern medi-
cine now has an agent at its dis
posal which gives promise for the
control Of the dreaded disease.
Professor Rock, formerly of the Uni
yersity Of Hawaii, made the trip to
the Siamese jungles for the United
States Department of Agriculture. IT
is purpOsed to provide a permanent
supply of the oil for the treatment of
leprosy. Professor Rocks seeds AMI
young trees have been distributed
among various experiment stations,
notably in Florida, Maryland and Cal
irornia.
Professor Rock says that with one
exception he is, so far as is known,
the first white man to penetrate the
region of Siam where he obtained the
specimens. OF the other white man
nothing seems to be known except
that he is an amateur botunist named
Kerr The SiameSe however visit
the jungles where grow the taraktog,
Cnos trees once every three years 10
secure the seeds for chaulmoogra OIL.
1t is a wild country, full Of dangerous
animals. The natives have known of
the beneficial properties Of the oil IN
leproSy for hundreds of years, but
handle the oil in such a crude way
that they do not get its full effect.
"Unclean" is the pitiful cry of the
lcpcr that has been heard in all parts
of the world since biblical times. The
dread disease gets its name from the
Greek word "leprOs," which means
"ScaIy.' 1t is caused by the bacillus
Leprac. 1t has always been believed
contagious and until recent years iu-
curable. Ii has been considered d
particularly dread disease because Of
the terrible disdgurer nts il causes.
Probably the origin an uome of
lcprosy is the Far East, but at one
time it was widespread in Europe.
1t is still found I'm quantity in France,
Russia, Norway, Turkey and Portugal
1t is estimated that there are 1900
leperS in the United States, most OF
whom are undetected and therefore
| unsegregated. 1t Is only the other
day that the wife of a well-known
officer of the United States army wa,
found 10 be suffering from a mild
form Of leprosy and was sent fOI
/ treatment to the government lepro
| sorium I'm Louisiana. Recently the
| British government requisitioncd the
/ United States for chaulmoogra oil fol
! the treatment of several hundred sui
fercrs ON the Island of Trinidad
I Portugal probably possesses the
. greatest number Of lepers Of any Eu
ropcan country. Foreigners ar,
shocked by the sight of Gishgured lcp
ers of both sexes begging in tn,
streets and selling toys and sweets
Iut Portugal seldom gets excited owe
her lcpers. About once generation
somebody insists that something ough
TO be done for them--or with them
If Ioprosy can be cured or con
troned, the result IS due to work don
by the United States public healtI
service. This work has been goin
on for the last fifteen years, princI
pully In the Kalhi hospital, Hawaii
The Kuluupapa leper colony is stu
Rted Oh promontory Of the island o