The Petal paper. [volume] (Petal, Miss.) 1953-19??, 1956-09-27
Cured Of Leprosy : Now Where
Can A Man Find A Place To Live?

visited dozens OF his nelghbOrS.
With each he used a persuasive
argument: "The doctors at Car
VILE say it is safe for him to live
with us. Are we to lose our faith
in doctors?"
Not one of Vacherie's citizens
demurred.
The cruel disease from which
John Harmon had recovered is
regarded as one of the least COM
municable of. all communicable
diseases. In Carville's 50-year-his-
tory, no doctor or nurse has ever
contracted it. And discharged
cases, emphasizes the u. S. Public
Health Service, pose no danger
whatsoever to the general public,
although they should undergo pc
rlodic checkings.
Best guesses place the number
OF Its victims in the U. S. at | 1000
to 1000. 1t is found primarily in
four states = Louisiana, Texas.
Florida and California.
The first hint Of John Harmon's
illness came when he was "a. a
promising young craftsman for
the Texas State Highway depart
ment. Quietly he left his job and
entered Carville In the melan-
choly months that followed he
taught classes at Carville's ele-
mentary school, There one of his
brightest pupils was a teen-ager
named Anne.
In spite of prolonged treatment,
Johns condition remained static.
But then, for no apparent reason.
he suddenly began to improve.
After an agonizing wait he passed
the required 18th monthly test
negative. He was free. He said
goodbye to pretty, dark haired
Anne, promised to write her, and
headed back for Texas.
Johnny's world fell apart for
the second time four and a half
years later. AS patients at Carville
say, he had "reactivated. Back at
CarVllle, IN 1914, he found Anne
had gotten much worse. But he
found some good news, too. Pa
tlents were beginning to show re-
mafkable results with, the new
drugs.
Months passed, and years. John
ny and Anne both improved. They
Itelli deeply in love. By 1948 his
tests were running negative again.
Soon he was discharged-free to
go
Instead, he stayed at Carville
and married Anne Two children
arrived 20, 4itl.
Almost II years after he first
entered Carville, hospital officials
told John in 1854 that he should
leave, find a job, and start new
life on the outside.
IhlS is a moment many long
time patients like Johnny grow
reluctant to face They have good
reason; one who has had leprosy
is often the object of near-hyster-
zeal fear and misunderstanding
This kind of rejection was what
Johnny Harmon. could expect
when he left Carville. Other pa
tlents urged him, in the name of
good sense, to assume a new iden-
tity, to hide his past.
mo" said Johnny, I'D only be
more miserable I never was
worth a darn as liar"
And that is how Ernest Becnel
found him, waiting on his porch
-taut, nervous, more than half
expecting to be Stunned, but de-
termlned above all else not to live
like a criminal for his past mis-
fortune.
Johnny'S acceptance in Vacherie
over the past 20 months has been
little short of amazing. Hardly a
wedding goes by without Johnny
there to take the pictures. Moth
erS bring their babies to his stu
dio to be photographed Towns
people drop in at his shop to leave
roll of film, or just to pass the
time of day. He is invited to din
ner for more often than he can
accept
Knock at any door in Vacherie
inquire what townspeople think
of Johnny Harmon's moving in
"Johnny's fine man." says one
Did you expect us to condemn
| him just because he'd been sick?'
Johnny himself can describe his
new neighbors only as wonder
| full"
Johnny Harmon and the town
of Vacherie are a major topic Of
conversation at Carville these
hxK%M