The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-05-24
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC j. HAsIdN, Director,
Washington, d. C.
CONQUERING THE PLAGUE OF
THE AGES

Washington, D. c.. May 24.-In the
conquest of leprosy, for which spe
cific cure has been developed by Amer
lean physicians at the Hawaiian leper
colony, one of the oldest and most
terrible plaques of the human race
has yielded to medical science.
| DIR. Jonathan 7. Mcdonald, who has
been associated with the work in
Hawaii for 2 years and played an i'm
portant part in perfecting the cure of
the disease, gives some facts about
this most ancient of the ills of man
and how 1t has yielded to treatment.
Altho there are many diseases
which are known to have attacked man
| thru the ages of civilization, Ieprosy is
undoubtedly the most ancient of them
all. Records of leprosy in China go
sand years before Christ.
Whereas Egypt is generally con-
ceded to be the birthplace of this dis
ease, the contagion and spread of Iep-
rosy turnout the world has been
terrifying in its completeness. Scarce
~ country, no matter how tiny or
remote, has not at some time been
touched by it. The name for the dis
ease has been translated into every
language. \
In practically all cases where Ieprosy
has been carried from one community
ried by human beings, for scientists
have been unable to find to date, any
lower animal which can contract lep-
rosy. In the year 81 a. D. the dis
ease was spreading all over Europe.
The Romans got it from the Greeks;
Pompey had carried it into Italy as
early as the first century, B. c., and it
was common among the Jews $50
years previous to that. Later pilgrims
from the Holy Land carried leprosy to
HNr1e 10 n ~,
Crusaders spread it wide-cast when re-
turning to their home lands during
the tenth. eleventh and twelfth CEN
turtles. Wales, Ireland, Norway and
Sweden became so infected as to have
the disease assume the proportions of
a plague. The exact date when the
disease invaded America cannot be
| traced. but it is thought probable that
most of the comparatively few cases
in this country have been brought by
returning travellers who visited the
Orient.
Two Million Lepers.
At the present time, according to
statistics compiled by DR.. Victor G.
Heiser, there are two million lepers
in the world; that is, one out of every
500 inhabitants of the world is
leper. The largest number of these
are in China. According to a leper
conference held at Calcutta in Feb
ruary of 1920, it is estimated that
there are approximately $50, 900 lepers
in India. There are several thousand
| in Japan and only 500 in Hawaii, in
spite of the popular belief that Molo-
| kai houses a large percentage of the
worlds lepers. There are many cases
of leprosy in Central and South Ameri-
can countries, and comparatively few
| scattered thru Mexico, the West In
dies, the United States and Canada.
| Russia and Sweden have some cases
and it is common in Asiatic countries
other than those above mentioned.
The western coast of Africa is also
seriously infected with leprosy. 1t can
thus be seen that leprosy has not yet
ceased to be a world menace.
And what methods has the world
used to get rid of it's oldest disease?
First of all, segregation has been prac-
| ticed and secondly, medicinal attempts
at remedies. Leprosy is spread by
| bacteria, especially those of the nose
secretions, according to the most gen.
eral belief, altho its origin has been
attributed variously to climate. too lit
tie salt in food, 'nsanitary living con-
ditions and eating spoiled fish.
The idea of segregating lepers oc-
Cured to mankind at an early date.
Herodotus says that the Persians of
his time exiled lepers. Moses, follow
| ing the customs of ancient Egypt,
segregated the lepers among the
| Jews. History shows that the Chinese
went so far as to burn lepers alive.
Medieval France provided lepers with
rattles to warn all of their approach
and enforced uniform gray for the
apparel of these unfortunates.
Today all Christian countries have
sanitariums or missionary hospitals
for the care and segregation of those
inflicted with leprosy. There are
three hospitals for lepers in the
United States, located in the states of
Louisiana. California and Massachu-
sets. The hospital near Carville.
Louisiana, on the Mississippi river,
was recently made Federal Hospital
for Lepers, in accordance with the
law finally passed by congress.
In Russia, lepers are exiled to
| Siberia. In the Fiji islands, they are
placed on pyres of green leaves of a
tree supposed to possess healing quali2
| ties. The skin of the victim is slowly
| cooked. or scorched and the leper, if
he survives this rough treatment, is
said to recover from his disease. The
reason that leprosy is so much more
| prevalent in non-Christ an countries is
| said to be that the Bible impresses
| Christians with the fear of leprosy. In
| the early days of Christianity. it was
considered in full accord with Biblical
teachings for communities to drive the
| ''unclean leper' out of their midst and
send him, a stunned wanderer upon
the face of the earth, or even to stone
him to death.
In the eastern countries the be-
levers of other than Christian faiths
do not have this great fear of the dis
ease. and in many cases leprosy is con-
sidered an asset by beggars in that its
loathesomeness will excite sympathy.
A Cure at Last
The medical philosopher Atreya,
who lived in China at least 1000 years
before the Christian era, wrote the
"Charaka Sanpita' on the pathology
of leprosy. In it he said: 1.-The man
who neglects the disease at it's com
mencement is sure to die, for it be-
comes incurable." Yet Doctor Nc
Donald states positively that 142 cases
treated in the Kalihi Hospital for
Lepers have been released as cured
since October. 1918. These cases have
been examined by a commission ap-
pointed by the territorial board of
health and declared to be no longer a