'8 THE ETHXOGRAl'HY OF LEPROSY, ETC. 



4. The East Indian Archipelago. — This vast region 

 presents many interesting featvires respecting the distribution of 

 Leprosy. In the greater Sunda Islands, that is, Borneo, Sumatra 

 and Java, Leprosy exists, but practically only among the Chinese 

 •and Malays ; the aborigines are clean. In Borneo it is only 

 found in a few populous centres in the south and south-west, 

 and here again only among the Chinese and Malays. The Avhole 

 of the interior is clean and so is North Borneo. In this last 

 district a few Chinese lepers were introduced some few years 

 ago, and one Portuguese leper came there. They have been 

 deported, and the country is clean ; not a single native has ever 

 ^become a leper. 



Java and Sumatra have Leprosy spread pretty evenly all 

 over them, and this has lead to alarming reports of the prevalence 

 •of the disease. As a matter of fact, they are only sporadic 

 ■cases, and the disease is officially declared to be rare. Formerly 

 the government supported fourteen Asylums, but in 1S6(S eight 

 were abolished, and the rest are supported by voluntary 

 subscriptions, chiefly by the Chinese, who are the greatest 

 sufferers ; the number of Asylums has now, we understand, been 

 reduced to three. Here again it was the Chinese and INIalays 

 w^ho suffered chiefly, and the aborigines went scot free. 



The whole of the lesser Sunda Islands, from Bali to Timor 

 Laut are free from infection. 



To the north the disease again appears, and it is said to be 

 more rife in Moluccas than any part of this region. The south 

 ■of Celebes is leprous, the northern district of ^linahassa is free. 



In the Philippines Leprosy is found on the main Islands, 

 but again it is the Chinese who are the cliief victims, and the 

 interior natives are exempt. Palawan and Cagayan-Sulu, are 

 clean. 



The vast number of other Islands, cliiefly inhabited by the 

 black races are clean, tind we have no proof that the disease is 

 known in New Guinea among the natives. Tlie Sulu Islands 

 are also clean. 



6. The Pacific — This area is so vast, communication so 

 difficult, and observers so few, that our observations are still 

 incomplete. We are in hopes of one of us being able to traverse 



