The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1921-10-28
HISTORY OF LEpRosY

ages the one cure came not from a
learned mans laboratory, nor yet
from the factory of the patent medi-
cine man. II was the studious doctor
armed with modern science who con-
quered smallpox, yellow fever, chol-
era. malaria, typhus and a thousand
other ills to which flesh is heir; but
all their assaults on the terrible di-
cease of leprosy we're in vain and left
them bafned. And all the while the
cure was going to waste; II was the
long-looked-for sovereign remedy
chaulmoogra oil.
Even in the time OF Moses the di-
sease was greatly dreaded, and a
careful study was made of it, though
not by doctors, as is shown in the
18th chapter of Leviticus. II was or
cred that man or woman who had
symptoms of the malady should be
brought to Aaron the priest for ex-
animation, and IL it could not be de-
termined that 1t was or was not lepro-
sy, the person was confined seven
days and examined again, and then
he might be confined for another
seven days for another examination.
1t was specified as a precaution
that If a mans hair sis falling off his
head" he may be merely bald and
not necessarily leprous. But 'if
there be in the bald head. or the
bad forehead, white, reddish sore,
II is leprosy sprung up in his bald
head, as the leprosy appeareth in the
skin of the flesh" "And the leper
in whom the plague is. his clothes
shall be rent and his head bare, and
he shall put a covering upon his up
per lip. and shall cry, "Unclean, I'M
clean" 1t was decided, however,
that when the whole skin became
white with the disease. instead Of
spotted with it. the person became
"clean" again.
While Moses was still in Egypt he
was told to thrust his hand into his
bosom, and when he withdrew il it
was "leprous white" The disease
may not have originated in the eoun-
try of the Nile as the ancients be-
lieved, but II is certain that in very
early times it was widespread thru
out the East. including India and
China. The Greeks and Romans
called it a foreign disease but e.
the first century b. c. it was known
in Italy. 1t was said to have been
contracted in Syria by the soldiers of
Pompey's army.
II was during the crusades, and !
through them. that all Europe be-
came afflicted with the awful malady
brought back by the jealous pilgrims. |
The scourge became terrible and lep-
er houses were set up in every town;
most of these were named after st. !
Lazarus. Lepers were isolated by |
law They were made to wear spe- |
cial costume, usually long gray |
gown with hood over the face, and |
they carried wooden clappers to give |
noise of their approach. TIL disease
began to decline in the 18th century |
and had almost disappeared from Eu-
rope in the 18th.
II is generally in tropical countries !
that leprosy has persisted, though it
took hold on Norway and Iceland,
where leper hospitals are still main
tanned China and India have long
been affected, and the Hawaiian is
lands have especially suffered. Spora-
die cases have constantly developed
in all large countries. in spite of the
care taken to prevent it.
The chaulmoogra oil remedy is re-
agrded as a new discovery, for we
heard nothing of it until compare
lively recently. 1t was only in 1902
that Dr. Frederick b. Power. director
of chemical research laboratories in
London, began experiments with the
oil from which he isolated some new
active acids. He also prepared the
"ethyl ester" of these acids, in which
form it can be injected into the mus
Giles so as to effect cure. 1t was in
this form that IL was used on 200
Hawaiian lepers who were cured,
But this oil was used as a remedy
long before DR.. Powers time. Proba-
bly, very few have any idea of the
source of chaulmoogra oil, and even
they will be surprised to find what a
job II is to get 1t.
The voyages of Sindbad the sailor,
or the search Of Ponce de Leon for
the fountain of youth, were tame af-
fairs compared with trip recently
made to get some of the seeds of the
tree. '"tarakfogenos kurzii," from
which chaulmoogra oil is produced.
Very few white men have ever seen
this tree, and it was only last June
that the frs. photograph of il was