Evening star., 1938-11-13
Priest, Facing Leper's Fate
Leaves D. c. for China ASYLUM
c. U. Graduate, 80,
Says Good-by to U. S.
For Good

When the Rev. Francis ]. Con-
nors, M. NJ, 38-year-old graduate
Of Catholic University and now
director of the only Catholic leper
asylum In South China, ends hts
four-day visit in Washington today,
1t may be the last time he will
ever see the Nations Capital.
YES" said Father Connors yes
terday, when I go back to China
the first Of the year, I 60 for good.
Having worked among lepers as
long as I have and with conditions
in China as they are, I feel sure
that In time I. too. will become a
leper.
80 I am saying good-by to
America"
Not very pleasant prospect. And
yet the strapping, ruddy-faced
priest seems to thrive on his work
and is anxious to return to China.
After five-month stay in the
United States. Father Connors will
return to the Maryknoll Missions
leprosarium at Mai Moon in the
Province Of Kwangtun to continue
his work among the 1000, 900 lepers
in South China.
Father Connors went to China
In 1927 to do regular educational,
spiritual and medical work at the
Maryknoll Missions branch at
Kochow, TOO miles inland in South
western China. After four years at
Kochow, he learned of a need for
workers among the lepers In South
China and offered his services.
Headquarters in , Cemetery.
II volunteered" he declared, be
cause saw so many lepers around
me with no one taking care of them.
Hated and Stunned by all, they are
outcasts."
The new assignment took Father
Connors to Mai Moon, the site of
the missions present leprosarium.
on the coast of the South China Sea.
There he found the lepers living
under the most unsatisfactory con-
ditions, He said he was forced to
set up headquarters In a cemetery,
the only place where lepers were
allowed to live. Dwelling in a crude
hut constructed out of old coffin
boards, Father Connors operated his
cemetery "clinic" until last May,
when the new leprosarium was COM
pleted.
Modern in every detail, the new
asylum is treating more than 800
leperS. Men patients are SEGREGATED
in Is wards, each holding 16 patients
in the same stage of the disease.
Since complete isolation is essen
tial, each ward has its own kitchen
and bathroom facilities. An addi-
tional ward houses u women. Two
more wards are maintained for tu-
bercular lepers. Assisted by Father
Joseph Sweeney, Father Connors,
working in sterileized white gown,
washes, dresses and bandages his
patients who come daily to the lep-
rosarium's hospital and dispensary.
To avoid contracting the dreaded
disease, Father Connors washes
carefully with an antiseptic soap
and alcohol solution after treating
each patient.
Appears in Two Forms.
The priest uses the same medical
treatment as that. employed at the
Cuhon Leprosarium In the Philip
pine Islands, which is operated by
the United States Government and
is the largest leprosarium in the
world According to Father Con-
nors this treatment consists Of in
tramuscular injections Of ethyl
esters of chaulmoogra oil and iodine
into the diseased parts of the pa
tents body.
Leprosy appears in one of two
forms, Father Connors said. One
type, known as neural-leprosy, de-
stroys the nerve tissue in the body.
The other is called nodular leprosy.