Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-06-16
MOST ANCIENT
CONTRACTION HAS
CURE AT LAST
History of Leprosy Covers
5000 Years, Touching
Every Nation.
STARTED IN OLD EGYPT

WASHINGTON-In the conquest of
leprosy, for which a specific cure has
been developed by American physicians
at the Hawaiian leper colons, one If me
oldest and most terrible plaques of the
human race has yielded to medical sci
ence.
DR.. Johnathan T. Mcdonald, who las
been associated with the work in Hawaii
for twelve years and played an important
part in perfecting the cure of the DIS
ease. gives some facts about this most
ancient of the ills of man and how it has
yielded to treatment.
Although the e are many diseases which
are known to have attacked man through
the ages of civiliza lion, leprosy is IN
/ doubtedly the most ancient of them all.
Records Of deprosy in China go back
5000 years, or 1000 years before Christ.
Whereas Egypt is generally conceded to
be the birthplace of this disease, the con-
tagion and spread Of leprosy throughout
the world has been terrifying in its COM
pleteness. Scarcely a country, no mat
ter how tiny or remote, has not at some
time been touched by it. The name fol
the disease has been translated into every
language.
In practically all cases where leprosy
has been carried from one community
or country to another, it has been
carried by human beings, for scientists
have been unable to find, to date. any
lower animal which can contract leprosy.
In the year 81 A. D. the disease was
spreading all over Europe The Romans
got it from the Greeks; Pompey had
carried it into Italy as early as the first
century r. c. and II was common
among the Jews 2s0 years previous to
tht. Later pilgrims from the Holy
Land carried leprosy to England and the
noble armies of the Crusaders spread it
wide-cast when returning to their home
lands during the tenth, eleventh and
twelfth centuries. Wales, Ireland, Nor
wv, and Sweden became so infected as
TO have the disease assume the proper
tons Of q plague. The exact date when
the disease invaded America can not be
traced but It is thought probable that
most Of the comparatively few ses in
this country have been brought by re-
turning travellers who visited the Orient.
TWO MILLION
LEPERs.
At the present time. according TO
statistics compiled by DR.. Victor q.
Heiser. there are two million lepers in
the world; that is, one out Of every SO
Inhabitants OF the world Is a leper The
largest number OF these are in China.
According to a Leper Conference held at
Calcutta in February of 1920, 1t is esti-
mated that there are approximately $780,
600 lepers in India. There are several
thousand 10 Japan and only 500 in
Hawaii, in spite Of the popular belier
that Molokai houses a large percentage
Of the worlds lepers. There are many
cases of leprosy in Central and South
American countries. and comparatively
few scattered through Mexico. the West
Indies the United States, and Canada.
Russia and Sweden have some cases and
II is common is Asiatic countries other
than those above mentioned. The west
ern coast Of Africa is also seriously in
fected 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 its oldest disease? First
Of ALL segregation has been practiced
and secondly, medicinal attempts at rem
edies. Leprosy Is spread by bacteria,
especially those Of the nose secretions,
according TO the most general belief,
although It's origin has been attributed
Yariously to climate. too little salt in
food, insanitary living conditions and
eating spoiled fish.
The idea Of segregating lepers occurred
to mankind at an early date. Herodotus
says that the Persians OF his time ex-
lied lepers. Moses. following the Gus
toms Of ancient Egypt, segregated the
lepers among the Jews. History shows
! For 70 ht,r
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 in
hicted with leprosy. There are three
hospitals for lepers in the United States.
located In the States Of Louisiana, Cali
fornia and Massachusetts,. The hospital
near Carville, La, on the Mississippi
River, was recently made a Federal hos
pital 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 qualities. The skin
Of the victim is slowly cooked, or
this rough treatment, is said to recover
from his disease. The reason that lep-
rosy is so much more prevalent in non
Christian countries is said to be that
the Bible impresses Christians with the
fear Of leprosy. In the early days of
Christianity, 1t was considered in full
accord with Biblical teachings for com
munities 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 believers
Of other than Christian faiths do not have
this great fear of the disease, and in
many cases leprosy is considered an as
set by beggars In that It's loathesome-
ness will excite sympathy.
LEPROsY NO
LONGER MENACE.
The medical philosopher Atreys who
lived In China at least 1000 years before
the Christian Era, wrote the "Charaka
Sanpita' on the pathology of leprosy.