CAN IT BE CURED?

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1159, 21 June 1911, Page 3

CAN IT BE CURED?

PROBLEM OF LEPROSY. WORK.FOK OUTCASTS IN INDIA. There is at the present time in 'Wellington a nmn whose experience entitles him to rank as an authority en the fail and mysterious disease of leprosy. This is tho l!)!v. AY. Powell, superintendent and founder of the Loner Home at Knpatln, in Southern India". He is u Baptist missionary, and has spent nearly a quarter of a century-in India. Out of that period he lias given 22-5 years to assisting the lepers, temporally and spiritually. He has had the opportunity of earing for thousands of llieso mifortunat-? people by providing them with food, clothing, shelter, nml tesithinj,'. "There are now 13!! p.-ilirnts in the home fit Bapatla." roiil -Mr. Powell, to a Dominion reporter. "I have had as many as 147 there, but the number was reduced owing lo .i>evpre visitation of cholera, when three died si-.td IS' others ran away in fear in one night. The innmies are' of four classes—Hindus, JlohammEclans, pariahs (people of no caste), and Christians. They are of both sexes, and they range from CO years of ago (only a few are as old as 'that), down to infants of one and two years old. They are in all stages of leprosy." . ■ •■ No Permanent Cure. And are you successful in curing aDy of p them r I "Ah, there you havo touched on a crucial point; You noticed, of course, that a supposed cure for leprosy was mentioned in the papers last week. Hell, il is possible to alleviate the sufferings of tho lepers for a time, and those who come in the first stages of the disease can probably have their lives prolonged a few years by medical treatment, superior diet, hygiene, and congenia surroundings, but there has been absolutely t m> curt discovered, so fa;, in India. | Numbers of the lepers have undergone , j what is known as the JCastin treatment, \ which is the principal treatment to-day, , but whilst it helps thpm considerably, our ; be«t doctors in India' acknowledge that none of their leper patients ( bas tc«n cured so far. Tho Government ot Jn.<.!.>. is-verv anxious to encourago any doctor to experiment upon lepers, in the hop? of finding a permanent remedy ior Wat . mvsrerious disease, and it liwrally pa>» thosa who are engaged m that form Oi research. • , , ,■ "Lepers in India are not b} tho (ioverumeiit. This is provide;! for by tho Leper Act, 1903, but the measure is not enforced. Consequently, mniiy thousands of lepers roam about, .ho country carrying with them, wherever thej go'their'contagious, and deadly disease I'litil the Government begins to compel lepers to be isolated,.there.is no hope of ilimini.shing tho clangors arisingJvom the detain come to the home arc persuaded by kindness and sympathy lo remain there, but if they do not wisii to stay they are at liberty to leave. I am clad to say that fully three-fourths of who .enter the home remain there ar.il conduct themselves satiaactorilv, and they often show sincere gratitude" for the care bestowed upon them. Since the establishment of the Leper <{otne in 1900, I. have had charge of more than 800 lcpsrs, the great majority of whom have ended their agonising pilsrimago at the institution. . As there is no permanent cure for their dreadlisl disease, many ,uf Hie sufferers meet death as a welcome release.'' A Suggestion Scouted. . In. this rannection, Mr. Powo'.l mentioned that it had surprised and grieved him to find that many intelligent people held that lepers shouid.be put out o I heir misery by means of the lethal chamber, or some such means oi painless -extinction. As a Christian missionary, iie'fclVthat it would be altogether wrong to cut off the life of a wicked man and. thus deprive him of those opportunities of repentance and amendment that might come to him if he were allowed to live but a little longer, liesides, in thew days of wonderful discoveries, who cou.d tell how soon'an effective remedy for leprosy would be availaMc? He told of n vicious rean, who was a Thug and a poisoner, to whom he had repeatedly refused admission on account of his vices, but whom he at last received. The patient had at that time no thought of accepting the religion of his benefactors, yet ho died peaceful!-.- in tin- Christian faith a few months later. Jlr. Powell said ho could mention a number of similar cases. ■ The object of Mr. Powell s _ present journey through Australia and New. Zealand is to collect funds for the expansion of the work among the lepers of tndia. Money collected by him has been used for the establishment of S new home for 50 to 100 lepers, which was opened Inst January. He hopes that his society will eventually h;:ve charge of MO lepers. Mr. Powell addressed meetings, at the Y.'M.C:A. end sonio of the churches last Sunday, and will speak at other gathering"; during hi - - stay in Wellington, which will last about a fortnight. After comjiitti-.i:; his present (our lie hopes to 'return to India and continue his work among tho-e whom he regards an the most neglected people on the face of the earth.