Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-26
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

Gov. Gen. Wood of the Philippine
Islands announces that one of the
principal objects of his coming to
the United States at this time, after
an absence of six years following his
assuming the governorship, is to in
augurate a movement to raise fund
of 81 100000 with which to improve
the means Of curing leprosy in the
islands. 1t is proposed to institute in
tensive scientific research at the Gu
lion leper colony, with the aim to
stamp out the disease throughout the
world. Science has accomplished
miracles in graduating yellow fever.
and largely overcoming tuberculosis.
1t has discovered that without the
mosquito to carry the germs of yell
low fever, and the rat to carry the
germs of bubonic plague, those dis
eases do not spread. What are the
contributing factors to the spread of
leprOsy, and how can it be treated?
1t comes from contact-but how?
There Is no longer any serious ques-
ton as to it's durability. In fact
despite the popular prejudice, the idea
that leprosy was incurable was not
held even in the most ancient times.
X X X X
The earliest mention Of leprosy is
recorded in Leviticus, xiii: And the
Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron,
saying, when a man shall have in
the skin Of his flesh a rising, a scab,
or bright spot, and it be in the skin
of his flesh like the plague of leprosy
then he shall be brought unto Aaron
the priest, or unto one of his sons,
the priests. ** If the raw flesh
turn again and be changed unto white,
he shall come unto the priest, and the
priest shall see him and behold if the
plague be turned into white; then the
priest shall pronounce him clean that
hath the plague; he is Clean" So
the disease was durable from it's earli-
est recognition, or at least the dag
noses were under suspicion.
Nevertheless, throughout the CEN
turtles, the general world has held the
belief that leprosy was hopeless, as
well as contagious, and the victims at
the time Of Christ were compelled to
warn all passerS that they were I'm
clean! and in many cases were BAN
ished to hide in graVeyards-aban-
doned to die.
Even in modern days, to be banished
to leper colony was to leave hope be-
hind. Now there has been advance in
science: there is a specific remedy in
chaulmoogra oil derivatives. Gen.
Wood-who is an Army surgeon--be-
lieves that within 10 years. with in
tenslve scientific handling and re-
search in the Philippine Islands, the
disease can be driven entirely out of
the islands. Today there are IL 900
cases in the islands, Of which $500
patients arc in the leper Island of Gu
lion under treatment. 1t costs the
Philippine government 2 per cent of
its gross revenue to care for the lepers
$500. 900 a year. The governor adds:
Nov we are trying to raise cou.
pie of million dollars to enable us to
establish laboratories, obtain better
equipment and secure the services of
research mon. In that way what we
are doing in the Philippines, where
the problem Is not by any means in
Surmountable and a close study or 1t
more practicable than anywhere else.
can be turned to a gteat blessing for
the entire world and all humanity. |
have this work very much at heart.
The money we raise will be spent un-
der the supervision of the Public
Health Service-that means under
Government supervision; and all for
new construction and endowment pur-
poses. The current expenses OF the
colony will continue to be betrayed
from public revenues"
The committee in charge of raising
the fund Is headed by Gen. Harbord,
with offices in the Metropolitan Build
ing, New York.
How remote is the leper question
from America? Quoting from an ar
ticle by DR.. o. K. Denney, surgeon of
the Public Health Service:
THAT leprosy now exists In the
United States and has existed here for
a great many years is a truism which
seldom occurs to the average person
until newspaper headlines attract at
tention to some unfortunate person
who Is afflicted by the disease. Then
after a few days of hysterical atten-
ton to the subject, the question drops
again into temporary oblivion. -
A conservative estimate Of the prev.
alence of leprosy in continental
United States places the number at
approximately 1900. = It is prob
aba that many finaea lepcnsx- bias.
=