AMONG THE LEPERS.

Grey River Argus, 26 June 1908, Page 4

AMONG THE LEPERS.

Mr William Powell, superintendent of the Leppr' Home at Bapatia, in Southern India is a member of the. South IndTani'Baptis'f'Missibnary Society, and, <hijis.Tbe.ea> connected \yjtk;tfie Leper Home for ; :i9yeaais. ' ":..•••••- 'II is'- in . the l ' interests of the ' leper', work that 'he has ! c6me to Australia (say* the "Sydncy-M'ornhig— Herald"). T.hev.BofflfcT^ODnt^ittS ' irS ■■: iitmat&si n alt native, from a child 6 months to. an old-man io'f .70,; in. alj : sta.g;es of.'the, disease. • All castes and. creeps arc ad*milted, and they are treated; ''for the* most part— Sjince liearly all are-ve ry stag'Cb pf the disease the. lepers ar.ab.lc to do a little^ gardening or.affr.icu.l'tura^ \tork,. .iaiiio&_ ic4>Tta.bilci*.!H r raijjL..janJi fruit fp-r • the.i« !,pj>y-B cQpsunxp'qo)\, but since they are nQt,:, allowed to work among the healthy, even in fields or fores/csj this is^'tlie only manner in which tKcy' can "coTJ.iiifoute'Ho the' r cost of their support. "The. Government of Madras has • given. i' the : society 25 acres of land, the services of a native doctor, and annual g-fants of medicine 1 As a. result of his. ■k> years' experience, ii is Mr -Powell's opinion 1 that leprosy is highly contagious, and ?n---fect'ous. Numbers of people have told him that they contracted the disease from eating food prepared or wearing clothes" worn by lepers or from touching- ihem, or. even from inhaling their breath.;, .Tihere-, .is-, no-w.; .in, the. home a family of five— a, mother, two sons/ and two daughters, all lepers, and the , father died of leprosy. As many as 1 1 in one family have been known. Uu-i fortunaitely, driven from their homes, ; they wander. about the country, spread-, ing- the disease. Mr Powell hopes, . however, that before long the Govern- ' men 1 : may be able to segregate them all. .: ■ : The object of Mr Powell's visit is to : co\kc money for the-e&tablishmcnt of! a home for unta-in red, children of, llet-;p t - ; crs who 'may "'tlius.'H.e. relciied" from the disease. He has now 33 applications;, on behalf of such children, five from; one family. It is also- hop^d to build: a meeting place for those lepeTS who arc Christians. Thor.e is' already a! Sunday school and Christian ■Endeav- . our Society, and ".a small day school of 23 I6p&i chil^rerT'in 'cdnnettioir with ■ the home.. ' '".' '!'