Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-05-20
Conquering the
Plague of the Ages
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llaakin May 20
ny i're''erie y i'asS'n

Washing ON NAV 2n--ln the con-
uutat 81 lsprosN. for which a speeihc
,nre has boon developed by American
phvalcians at the Hawaiian leper
.olonv. ono uf the eldest and most ter
While plasucs OF the human race mas
siridog a. msdicai science.
pr. Jonathan 4. Mcdonald, VINO mas
heun associated with the work IN ita-
wait Coz la years and played en- I'M
po,tant part in perfccting the cuie ol
the ,.seaSe. gives some facts apou' ms ,
inont ancient Of the Ills OF man anu
how II haa yielded Go treatment.
Although there are many diseases
which are known TO have attacked man
throurh the ages OF civilization. leprosy
ia undoubtedly the most ancient OF
thcm an. Records Of leprosy IN China
go hack six thousand years. or four
thousand years before Christ.
Whereas Erypt is generally con-
coded to be the birthplace Of this dis
ease. the oontagion and spread OF
teprusy throughout the world has been
tefrifving IN its completeness scarcely
a country. 40 matter how tiny or re-
eote. has not az some time been
touched hy 81. The name for the dis
ease has been translated into every
language,
In practically all cases where leprosy
has been carried from one community
CA country to another, II has been
earricd by human beings. Tor scientists
have been unable 20 find, 10 date, any
lower animal which can contract
lepruav. In the year 81 a. ID. the
dispasc was spreading all over Europe.
Tho Romans got Il from the Greeks
pompey had carried it into ltaly as
early aa tho first century. IL. &, ana
IA was common among the Jews 200
years provious 60 that Later pilgrims
from tho Holy Land carried lCprosy TO
England aud the noble armies OF the
Crusaders spread IL wide-cast when re-
turning 20 th ir homo lands during the
tenth, eleventh and twelfth centuries.
Wales. ireland Norway and Sweden
became 80 infected as 60 have the dis
rasc assume the proportions Of plague.
The exact date when the disease in
,aded America cannot he traced, but
Il Is thought probable that most Of the
comparatively few cases IN this coun-
try have been brought by returning
travellers who visited the Orient.
Two Million Leners.
At che present time. according to sta
tiatics complied by Or Victor @. Heiser,
there are two million lepcrs in the
world, that is. one out OF every 500
inhabitants Of the world is a leper. The
Mrgest number Of these are in China.
According 10 a Lopcr Conference held
al calcutta ia February of 1920. II is
estimated that there are approximately
100000 lepcrs in India. There are
aeN cral thousand in Japan and only
300 III Hawaii in spite Of the
popular belief that MolOkai houses a
iarrs percentage ~ the worlds lepers
There are many cases OF leprosy m
Central and south American countries
ana comparatively few scattered
through Mexico. the Woss Indies, the
tnited states. and Canada. Russia and
sweden have some cases and il is COM
mon in Aslatic countries other than
thoso above mentioned, Ths western
coast of Africa is also seriously infected
with leprosy. IL oan thus be seen that
lsprosy has not yet ceased TO be q
world menace.
And What methods has the world used
a. set rid of its oldest disease First
81 en-. segregation has been nractised
and secondly, medicinal attempts al
remedies I4eprosy is spread by bac-
terin. especially those Of the nose Sc
crctions. according to the most general
halief although its origin has been at
trihutod varlously To climate. too littl'
salt in food. unsanitary living condi
lions and eating spoiled fish.
The idea OF segregaung lepers oe-
eurrpd to mankind at an early date
ntroaotus says that the Persians OK hi
tlne exied lcpcrs Moses following tn
customs of ancient Egypt, segregated
fhe iepcrs among the Jews. Histor,
shows that tho Chinese went 50 far a.
a. burn lcpers alive. Medieval Franc
nro,iaea iepcrs with rattles 10 war;
au af thoir approach and enforced uni
form gray FOR the apparel OF thes'
unfortunates.
Today an Christian countries hav
saulfariums or missionary hospitals 70
the care and segregation OF those in
alcfod with lcprosy. There are thre
HOSPITALS for lepers III the United States
faeafed Ia tho states Of Louisiana, Call
farnia. ana Massachusetts. The hospita
near CarVllle, Louisiana, on the Miss
iealppi River. was recently made Fed
rrai Hospital for Lepers, in accordanc
with me law finally passed by Con
Frtss.
Ia Russia. iepers are exiled 10 Siberia
IL the FlN Islands. they are placed o.
pvres Of green leaves Of = tree suppose
IS possess healing qualities. The ski
of the victim II slowly cooked. o
saorchod and the leper, II he survive
this rough treatment is said 10 recove
from his disease. The reason tina
lcprosy is 50 much more prevalent d
non.Christian countries IS said 70 b
that the Hiblo impresses Christians wit
the fear of leprosy. In the early day
of Christianity. i was considered j
fun accord with Biblical teachings 70
communities 10 drive the "unclea
leper out Of their midst and send hin
: Stunned wanderer upon the face {
the earth. or even TO stone him I
death.
In fhe eastern countries the believer
81 either than Christian faiths do no
have this great fear Of the disease. an
- many cases leprosy IS considered a
asset hy bcrears in that its loathesome
ness win excite sympathy.
A Cure at Last.
The medical philosopher Atreya VIII
lived IN China at least 1000 years be
fore the Christian Era. wrote Ia
agharaka Sanpita" on the pathology {
Ieprosy. In IL he said. The man VIII
npeIects the disease at its commence
ncnt Is sure 70 die. for il becomes ir
eurable.p Yet DR.. Mcdonald states pos
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