CHAPTER II. 

 LEPROSY. 



BACILLUS LEPR^ (HANSEN).* 



General Characteristics. A non-motile, non-flagellate, non-spor- 

 ogenous, non-cultivable, purely parasitic, acid-resisting bacillus, staining 

 by Gram's method, and pathogenic only for man. 



Leprosy very early received attention and study. Moses 

 included in the laws to the people of Israel rules for its diag- 

 nosis, for the isolation of the sufferers, for the determination 

 of recovery, and for the sacrificial observances to be fulfilled 

 before the convalescent could once more mingle with his peo- 

 ple. The Bible is replete with miracles wrought upon lepers, 

 and during the times of biblical tradition it seems to have 

 been an exceedingly common and malignant disease. Many 

 of the diseases called leprosy in the Bible were, however, in 

 all probability less important parasitic skin affections. 



Distribution. At the present time, although we hear 

 very little about it in the northern United States, leprosy is 

 a widespread disease and exists much the same as it did 

 several thousand years ago in Palestine, Syria, Egypt, 

 and the adjacent countries, and is common in China, Japan, 

 and India. South Africa has many cases, and Europe, 

 especially Norway, Sweden, and parts of the Mediter- 

 ranean coast, a considerable number. In certain islands, 

 especially the Sandwich and Philippine Islands, it is endemic. 

 In the United States the disease is uncommon, the Southern 

 States and Gulf coast being chiefly affected. 



A commission of the Marine -Hospital Service, formed for 

 the purpose of investigating the prevalence of leprosy, in 

 1902 reported 278 existing cases in the United States. Of 

 these, 155 occurred in the State of Louisiana. The other 

 States with numerous cases were California, 24; Florida, 24; 

 Minnesota, 20; and North Dakota, 16. No other State 

 had more than 7 (New York). Of the cases, 145 were 

 American born, 120 foreign born, the remainder uncertain. 



* "Virchow's Archives," 1879. 

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