The Ordway new era., 1921-09-02


n 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-
manent? That remains to the seen.
But 1t is evident that modern med-
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
versity Of Hawaii, made the trip to
the Siamese jungles for the United
States Department of Agriculture. 1t
Is purposed to provide a permanent
supply of the oil for the treatment of
leprosy. Professor Rocks seeds and
young trees have been distributed
among various experiment stations.
notably in Florida, Maryland and Cal
ifornia.
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 botanist named
Kerr. The Siamese, however, visit
the jungles where grow the taraktog-
enos trees once every three years to
secure the seeds for chaulmoogra oil.
1t is 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 crude way
that they do not get its full effect
"Unclean" is the pltiful cry of the
leper 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
"scaly." 1t Is caused by the bacillus
Leprae. 1t has always been believed
contagious and until recent years in
durable. 1t has been considered o
particularly dread disease because of
the terrible disfgurements it causes.
Probably the origin and home of
leprosy is the Far East, but Mt one
time 1t was widespread In Europe
1t is still found in quantity In France,
Russia, Norway, Turkey and Portugal.
1t is estimated that there are 1.5OO
lepers in the United States, most of
whom are undetected and therefore
unsegregated. 1t Is only the other
day that the wife OF well-known
officer of the United States army was
found to be suffering from mild
form of leprosy and was sent for
treatment to the government lepro-
sorium in Louisiana. Recently the
British government requisitioned the
United States for chaulmoOgra oil for
the treatment of several hundred suf-
ferers OH the Island of Trinidad.
Portugal probably possesses the
greatest number of lepers Of any Eu-
ropean country. Foreigners are
shocked by the sight of disfigured lep-
ers of both sexes begging In the
streets and selling toys and sweets
But Portugal seldom gets excited over
her lepers. About once generation
somebody insists that something ought
to be done for them-or with them
If leprosy can be cured or con-
trolled, the result Is due to work done
by the United States public health
service. This work has been going
on for the last fifteen years, princi-
pally in the Kalihi hospital, Hawaii.
The Kalaupapa leper colony is situ-