THE KTflXOGLIAPHV OF F.EPUOSY IX 

 THE FA1{ FAST. 



By SYDNEY B. J. SKERTCHLY, 



(Vice-rresi(lent). 



[Ilcitd hcforc till' Hiiijiil Sni-irtij nf ijiii-iiislinul, Otii Miinli, 1897.] 



I N T K D U C T I X . 

 HAAaNG recently completed an investigation in collaboration with 

 Dr. Jas. Cantlie (both of ns then of Hongkong), into the distribu- 

 tion of Leprosy in tlie Far b^ast, which occupied our attention 

 for several years, and having arrived at some unexpected results 

 with regard to the ethnography of the disease, we hope that 

 a brief statement of the main facts may be interesting to the 

 Royal Society of Queensland. 



The data upon which we found our conclusions have been 

 gathered personally, and by means of circulars addressed to 

 medical practitioners, missionaries, consuls and others, and we 

 have in no case relied on \ag\ie or general statements in 

 published works, which we have found too general to be of 

 scientific value. 



Area Ejiruaced. — The area embraced in the enquiry extends 

 from the ]\Ialay Peninsula, througli China, the whole of the East 

 Indian Archipelago, .Tapan and the Pliilippines and the islands of 

 tlie Tacitic. 



^^ ith the exception of the Pacific Islands much of the area 

 lias been visited by one or both of us, the most northern part of 

 our travels being Vladivostock and -lapan. Southwards we know the 

 Archipelago to Sumatra, .Tava, itc, and eastward to the Moluccas. 



