The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1921-05-13

/ az the Redeemed Raise Their Voices
| In Hymns of Thanks--Leprosy ls
Very Ancient Disease.
Surely the cup of thankfulness of
that group of once lepers was brim-
ming as, to the notes of the doxology,
they passed through the lava pillars
Of Kaliii, in Hawaii, the other day on
their way to freedom and peace, writes
John Walker Harrington in the New
York Times.
| Victims of one Of the oldest scourges
Of mankind they had gone through
those gates less than two years before,
believing that above them was written
| in letters invisible: HE who entereth
here leaves hope behind"
The dispatches from Honolulu have
told how through the chaulmoogra oil
treatment this group Of sixty-four men
and women, who had thought them
selves condemned to living death, had
been restored to home and life
In view of the fact that in the last
| two years 142 patients have been pa
rolled from this leper colony and not
one as yet has been sent back science
| may indeed be said to have won much
vantage ground in its fight against
| the scourge.
An impressive scene it was when
| stephen Desha, minister of the Gospel
standing before the band of the re-
| deemed, lifted his voice in benediction
and the choiring multitude gave thanks
| in antiphonal song! Their paean of
praise swelled in volume to the OBJ
bligato of the rustling palms and the
| signing of the warm trade winds.
Reports from various scources now
indicate that there is much merit In
| the oil from the nuts of the chaulmoo-
gra tree, native of India, which has
been tested under severe conditions.
II the good augury is borne out many
brave life will be spared, for there
| have been scores of martyrs who, fol-
lowing the example of Father Damein
devoted themselves to ministering to
| the disease distigured outcasts, against
F., whom society had raised the cry, ''Un-
| clean! ~ Sound in body and in mind,
they had taken upon themselves vows
| to return no more to the world, but to
dedicate their lives to lingering sac
rifice. If, then, science has reached
the hard won goal of conquering that
disease, which swept the ancient world
and has Iurked all these centuries in
lands under the tropic sun, there may
be no more such offerings upon the
altar Of humanity.
Much Hope for Lepers.
Whenever announcement Is made
that cure has been found for anything
the medical profession raises the note
of caution. 1t would know how many
cases have been treated and makes un-
relanting analysis. Even granting full
sway to scepticism. however, there is
abundant ground for believing that
there is much hope for the leper.
Leprosy, although it has existed so
long In the East, did not appear In
Hawaii until 1s4S, when 1t was be-
lieved to have found its way there
from China. Various remedies were
tried in the effort to drive it from
Its Judgment, but before many years
there were 1000 inhabitants of the is
land segregated on account of the dis
ease. Little progress had been made,
however, in combating it.
The development of bacteriology in
the last fifty years has done much,
however, to aid In the treatment Of
the wasting plague. The Isolation of
the bacilli leprae In 1871 was followed
by further developments, and as early
as 1883 medical science turned to-
ward ehaulmoogra oil. 1t was not IN
til ten years ago, however, that the
tests OF the remedy were developed
along lines which justified good
opinion of its efficacy.
Just why the oil should have so
marked an effect Is a matter of con-
| lecture. for at first its use was. re-
| garded as purely empirical Leprosy
| is distinguished by the formation of a
| great number of granular cells, and
large nodules of infected matter form
under the skin and give that loath-
| some appearance which marks even the
first stages of the disease. In these
nodules are found embedded the ba-
| GILL. 1t Is believed that the chaulmoo-
gra oil contains an active principle,
not as yet identified, which gradually
destroys these bacilli.
The oil is usually given by injecting
1t into the veins with a hypodermic
syringe, but 1t can also be admins
tered in gelatine capsules by the mouth.
| 1t has an unpleasant taste and is
likely to disturb the digestion when so
given. 1t has also been employed
combined with camphorated oil and
resorcin. When swallowed it has been
noted that the crude oil is more eff
cacious than the refined, which indi-
Gates that processing in some way at