Memoir on leprosy in Syria / by John Wortabet.

  • Wortabet, John, 1827-1908.
Date:
1873
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Memoir on leprosy in Syria / by John Wortabet. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

    19/28 (page 17)
    V! Topography.—With a single exception, all the cases mentioned in my tables came from villages or towns situated in mountainous districts or high table lands. So far as I know, none of those places are marshy or malarious. The exceptional case is that of a leper who was born and has always lived in Beyrout, but his parents came from the Lebanon. During a long residence in Aleppo and Beyrout I have not seen a single case among the bond fide natives. Damascus is said to be free from the disease, though I saw there one case and heard of another. Jerusalem and Nablous have a good number of lepers; but I believe most of them come from the ad- jacent villages. On the whole it may be safely said that the cities and large towns of Syria, when the inhabitants are well fed and are generally clean in their habits, are comparatively free from leprosy. The limitation of the disease to villages, whose position is often high and healthy, would strongly point to the poor living, uncleanly habits of the inhabitants, and the unsanitary condition of the houses, as some of the most active causes of leprosy. Causes.—Most of the lepers I have seen belong to the lower classes of society, and come, as has just been mentioned, from vil- lages, where to poverty, uncleanliness of person and clothing, filthy, over-crowded, ill-ventilated houses are to be added. An hereditary taint is doubtless the principal cause in many instances; but it fails to account for every case. Over-fatigue and exposure to cold and damp weather, may serve to excite the disease. Certain kinds of diet, as fish, salted meat, grease, oil, and some lentils, are usually enumerated among the exciting causes of leprosy.1 After the disease has declared itself, there can be no doubt that the manner of living has great influence in hastening or retarding the course of the malady. I have known instances where good living, pure air, scrupulous attention to ablution and cleanliness, and the general observation of the laws of hygiene have kept the disease at bay for a long number of years. Hereditary Taint.—The Arabian physicians, modern authors, and all those who have had an opportunity of seeing much of leprosy, are agreed that it is often a transmitted disease. Sometimes, however, it certainly arises spontaneously from other causes. Tabulating my cases from this point of view, we have, of forty-eight cases— Tainted—25. Non-tainted—17. Doubtful—3. Unknown—3. Laying aside the doubtful and unknown cases, the proportion of the tainted to the untainted is that of twenty-five to seventeen—a large ratio as to the hereditariness of leprosy. It should be also taken into consideration that it is sometimes extremely difficult to get an admission from the leper that any of his relatives are affected with 1 Avicenna mentions the following causes of leprosy:*—Contagion, hereditary taint, impure air, and certain articles of diet, as fish, salted meats, asses’ meat and lentils. ’