LEPROSY IN AUSTRALIA

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 July 1935, Page 10

LEPROSY IN AUSTRALIA

DOCTOR’S DISCLOSURES SYDNEY, June 25. Inactivity in combating leprosy among aborigines in North-West Australia was criticised by Dr. Byron, district medical officer at Derby, before a Parliamentary party visiting that region. “The position is so serious that I - have come to regard every native as a leper until he is definitely proved to be free from the disease,” Dr. Byron said. He quoted cases where leprous natives had been engaged in cooking and, doing housework and washing on cattle stations. Native leper patients were increasing, and the danger of the disease spreading was not appreciated by people of the district, he said. That morning he had discovered in the local gaol an escapee from Broome lock-up suffering from the early stages of leprosy. Leprosy had been definitely diagnosed in the district for at least twelve years and had been regarded as existing as long as twenty years ago. The position had become so serious last year that the Royal Commissioner, Mr. Moseley, had sent the Government an interim report directing attention to the calamitous conditions, yet nothing had been done to remedy the position.

“People refuse to recognise that the disease exists, or they hold on ’to the wrong belief that white people do not get leprosy. Last year about 40 cases of suspected leprosy were sent from the district to Darwin, where they were definitely diagnosed as lepers.” Dr. Byron added. "I have not had much opportunity to invest! gate the position thoroughly, but 1 am confident that a number of whitelepers would be found in the district. With their contact with leprous natives over a number of years they could hardly avoid it.” Dr. Byron said he thought the people were disinclined to accept the position because most of the cases were not of an advanced type, but worse would follow, and by that time Ihe disease would be past prevention, and would become a scourge. One morning he had examined eight nawho had come into Derby with mobs of cattle, he said. 01 the eight, four were found to be lepers. Two gins who were diagnosed as lepers had been cooking for people on the station from which the cattle had come.

At the lazaret the Parliamentary party was told that fifteen lepers had been taken from one station. Almost every native examined was a leper or suspected leper, and there must be hundreds inland who had never been examined.