

138 TRINIDAD. 



The contagiousness of leprosy is at this present moment 

 warmly discussed, and though generally decided in the negative, 

 is nevertheless one of those points which should not be regarded 

 as settled. Aclhuc sub judice Us est. There are facts, few in 

 number it may be, but there are facts which militate in favour of 

 contagion ; also parallel facts which seem to prove that segrega- 

 tion is a sure barrier against the propagation of the disease. 

 But the important point is not whether leprosy is contagious, but 

 under what condition it is propagated. There is no doubt that 

 its propagation may be traced to the following causes or circum- 

 stances : 1st, Intermarriages of or with leprous persons ; 2nd, 

 Hereditary transmission; and 3rd, Co-habitation. 



We find in the report of Dr. Tilbury Fox and T. Farquhar 

 the following statements : f ' We have no doubt," they say, 

 " that in Syria the leprosy is mainly propagated by the inter- 

 marriage of the leprous or those hereditarily tainted. Of 623 

 cases to which reference is made in the leprosy report of the 

 College of Physicians, 287 were known to be hereditary; and it 

 is no doubt probable that this is not a correct proportion, since 

 leprous taints in families are as much as possible concealed." 

 Dr. Davidson, speaking of leprosy in Madagascar, remarks, " It 

 certainly deserves notice that, while the laws of Madagascar 

 excluded leprous persons from society, the disease was kept 

 within bounds, but after this law was permitted to fall into 

 disuse, it has spread to an almost incredible degree. This is, 

 no doubt, due in part to lepers being allowed to marry without 

 hindrance ; but the natives are also strongly impressed with the 

 conviction that the disease is inoculable.'" But the series of 

 facts reported by Dr. Hillebrand is more striking still. Leprosy 

 was thought to be unknown in the Sandwich Islands till 1859, 

 and cannot be traced back further than the year 1852, or at the 

 earliest 1848. Dr. Hillebrand has been at Honolulu since 1851. 

 As it appears, the disease was imported by the Chinese ; in 1848 

 and in 1853 there existed only one single leper in Honolulu; in 

 1864 the number had increased to 250 ; within a period of ten years 

 1,570 lepers had been admitted into the asylum. In the year 

 1873 the total number amounted to 1,750. Dr. Hillebrand 

 observes that " the natives are of a very social disposition, much 

 given to visiting each other, and that hospitality is considered as 

 a sacred duty by them. . . About one-fourth avow contact 



