i88 INFECTION AND IMMUNITY 



the last-mentioned country it was reported, in 1897, 

 that there were 23,647 lepers, a majority of whom 

 were located in the coast region of the islands. In 

 1893 the total number of lepers in Egypt was 2204. 

 In Spain, Portugal, France, and Italy a limited number 

 of cases of leprosy may be found, but Great Britain 

 Holland, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, 

 and Denmark are practically free from the disease 

 a few imported cases no doubt exist in each of these 

 countries. In Norway, which for many years has 

 been the principal infected centre in Europe, the 

 number of cases has been constantly diminishing dur- 

 ing the past fifty years. In 1856 the number of cases 

 reported was 2870, in 1895 the number had fallen to 

 688. The reduction was partly due to the emigra- 

 tion of lepers to other countries (287). In Russia 

 1 200 cases of leprosy were reported as living within 

 the limits of the empire in the year 1895, when an 

 official census was taken. 



In South America and in the West Indies there are 

 a considerable number of lepers, especially along the 

 coast of Brazil and of British Guiana. The disease 

 also exists in the states of Central America and in 

 Mexico. 



Cases of leprosy not infrequently arrive in the 

 United States from Norway, from China, or from 

 the Hawaiian Islands, but the policy of the Govern- 



