Leprosy in India : summary of reports, furnished by the government of British India to his Hawaiian Majesty's government, as to the prevalence of leprosy in India, and the measures adopted for the social and medical treatment of persons afflicted with the disease.

  • Hawaii. Department of Foreign Affairs.
Date:
1886
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Leprosy in India : summary of reports, furnished by the government of British India to his Hawaiian Majesty's government, as to the prevalence of leprosy in India, and the measures adopted for the social and medical treatment of persons afflicted with the disease. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    LEPROSY IN THE SANDWICH ISLANDS. FROM DR. JOHN S. MC GREW TO GENERAL JAMES M. COMBY. MEDICAL RECORD, N. Y., 1881. Honolulu, September 2G, 1878. To His Excellency General James M. Comby, United States Minister Resident. Dear Sir : In answering the letter handed to me by you from Dr. McBride of San Francisco, I am compelled to be very brief. The life of a physician here cannot be said to be a sinecure. If I had the ability I have not the time to devote to the subject to make it interesting, I fear, to your correspondent. The first question, “When leprosy first made its appearance in the Sandwich Islands,” is rather a hard one to answer, as the “oldest inhabitant,” wrho is generally as unreliable as other people, is not satisfied as to the date. From the very best information that has been obtained, it has always existed among the natives of the Isl- ands. The most intelligent natives say that their earliest traditions give an account of this disease; that it was not introduced by the Chinese, as some people want to have it. Second.—“Are all cases of leprosy excluded from intercourse with society?” Very generally. From political and other influences with officials of the Government, many are permitted to go at large without being questioned—really dangerous cases of leprosy. Third.—“ Do foreigners (other than Chinese) have leprosy in the Islands? ” I am credibly informed that there never was a Chinaman landed here with leprosy from China. What fewr Chinamen have the disease, have contracted it since their arrival here, from association and cohabitation with leprous natives. The Leper Hospital contains several English, German and American lepers; quite as many of either of these nationalities as Chinese. Fourth.—“ Do physicians on the Islands consider lepros}^ con- tagious or infectious?” Most of our physicians, I might say all,