Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1922-03-13
+. LEPRosY in THE UNITED:
$50 -. Z STATES :,

Wash.s D. C.,,-"Leprosy" says
Surgeon General Cumming, of the
us Publit.,Health Service, though
comparatively ffare IN continental
Unred States, IS still public health.
problem of much greater seriousness.
than seems to be popularity supposed.
It's EVlrruIence wakes ana Wanes in
accordance with laws that, we do not
understand; and our present compar-
alive immunity does not lessen the
necessity for being on guard.
In the past we have not escaped. In
1886 ieprous beggars were So COM.
mon in New Orleans that they had to
be segregated in Ieprosariuni. In
1854 three percent OF the population
OF the Hawaiian Islands were .lepefs.
In 1890 California had to establish a
leprosariu,n, and Louisiana and tlnah-
lily Massachusetts followed suih Ill
In 1902, the Rublic Health Service
fpmsds4IS sleHers sh;the United States,
145 5of 5Whonf had :beenj born; in! this
country, and; only 70 OF Whomi were
under any RESTRAINT. Today; Accord
| ing ITO ;theS best estimate obIainahle,
there are fr6ms5OO TO $500 lepers IN
this country, gaSnumber of whom are
known to have acquired the disessesin
the Philippines. When we acquired
the gkslippiness Several thousand: hep.
ers had to- Be- amh still are segregated
in aS.settlementkat<C ulion!:'Foci offthe
disease exist insthe United States on
the Pacific coastSin the Northwest. in
Ethe Gdif StatrRsss sand along the At
lantic2 ;seaboardi2:f i'!is. Ass.,'
1t was not until 1889 that the U: S.
Government took its first steps to PIE
vent. Ieper from Coming to this coun-
Etry; and the preventive laws are now
issuttlciently explicit. NeNer-the7iess,
| the long period during which the
disease .incubates before declaring it
| self makes it very difficult to shut out
all. potential lepers. To. meet this
difficulty the law provides that for
three years after admission, any
alien leper may be deported,:if the
cause Of the disease existed before he
came to the United States Within
the United States lepers may mot
| tr;tvel in Interstate commerce eS-,
cepr: under uer:n,its prescribing spec
ial precautions to prevent the spread
of; the. disease, -; 49,
| Protection against the disease is
rendered MORE difficult by the fact that
leprosy is. found in a very large, por-
ton Of the 'habitable globe, ranging
from Russia and Iceland to. India, and
America, North and South, and that
the eyer-increasing ease of comtnuhi-
cation offers. many facilities, for, IFS
importation to the United States. MING
Elepers were turned back at: quara1l-
tine during the fiscal year .l920721., -,
! In Fcbrual'St1917, Congress pro;
vided for aTnational home. for lepers
tos.be administered by the Public
Health Service, but so strongly did
the various States object to the. found
ing Of such an. asylum within ,theit.
borders that ;it:was not until four
years later that the Service was. able
to carry out the provisions Of the
act by acquiring the State .leper: home
I in Louisianas HP art Of this home. has
been remodeled; and york on the
remaining necessary alterations and
additions spro ceeding. s...rts..s2 -;
The glodnay outlook Foreigners has
recently been tinged by the discovery,
of mode Of: treatment involving the
use of ;chamoogna oil, which fors2OO
years has. been;reported=to be of henen
fiiciaI affect for leprosY.s,: The oil it.
self is.,absorbed slowly and isaapt; to
Icause painful abscessos3 but the hypo-
derinic injection Of ethyl, devised by