774 Leprosy 



the lymphatics and extends to the internal viscera. Death 

 ultimately occurs from exhaustion, if not from the frequent 

 intercurrent affections, especially pneumonia and tuberculo- 

 sis, to which the conditions predispose. 



Specific Therapy. Carrasquilla's* "leprosy serum" is 

 prepared by injecting the serum separated from blood with- 

 drawn from lepers, into horses, mules, and asses, and, after 

 a number of injections, bleeding the animals and sepa- 

 rating the serum. There is no reason for thinking that such 

 a product could have therapeutic value. 



Rostf prepares massive cultures of the lepra bacillus, 

 niters them through porcelain, concentrates the nitrate to 

 one- tenth of its volume, and mixes the nitrate with an equal 

 volume of glycerin. The resulting preparation is called 

 leprolin and is supposed to be analogous to tuberculin. 

 With it he has treated a number of lepers at the Leper 

 Hospital at Rangoon, Burmah, many of whom have greatly 

 improved and some of whom seem to be cured. Confirma- 

 tion of the work by others is greatly desired, and it is too 

 early to judge the merits of the treatment. It is, however, 

 the most promising method yet published. 



Sanitation. While not so contagious as tuberculosis, 

 it has been proved that leprosy is transmissible, and it may 

 be regarded as an essential sanitary precaution that lepers 

 should be segregated and mingle as little as possible with 

 healthy persons. The disease is not hereditary, so that 

 there is no reason why lepers should not marry among 

 themselves. The children should, however, be taken from 

 the parents lest they be subsequently infected. 



*" Wiener med. Wochenschrift," No. 41, 1897. 

 f'Brit. Med. Jour.," Feb. n, 1905. 



