Nuhou, Volume I, Number 6, 14 March 1873 — The Lepers and Their Home on Molokai. [ARTICLE]

The Lepers and Their Home on Molokai.

! Leprosy ies u word of dread, Souie uien wou!4 | elaj theiß6olve6 rathor thun liv e lejw. It h;;* : iilwavs becn the fe;uTul of Asia f v f ' the bro\vn riuvs iuAvo ttum of t!ie whUe. It I heeouie the terYor Jof thb at I> I (% yet known in oihA- group* of the P;ic)tk\ Ilow .it eame hore ve O;ji»not ttll; \i ca U c .» j by ualives the or Chinc-e lu.t I e\uj tliing the īuUKe:? uon t Lik*w ! about, they designute us <»f Chine>c * j h** There aiv°*;& oon- . firuK\l lejw? at Jvihuipaj\i» and noarlv . 4 \£ mar\ iuore throu-hout t|ne \\lth numfoM svtv,^ toms of the discasc\ The ehiof eause of its inerea«Jo lie<? In irat|ve aputhj. Tho r\&? - I eiate \Vith the hook-£ngen\! |\ictinvs. The mo*t a\\fut >f t* e . di<Ov\v<e neither *eave i>ot v?U£n>t. the t- | * * I ■% » u *£» faoe te rubbi\? :\g;\inst ooui] *.« - . eentlj a* tho t»u >t henlthv vvmitona! a T! e j hon\>r of t!\is \lnng doath has n•* torror f-r and 1 thov !ni\o ' iuore than anj othor a v\wrci\e tion of thoso kwin* ** ; iwplo ivisuior thb enforw\T l: *> i i i

innni i »■> a violenee to pcrnonal rightB. lt is so, no doubtj j bnt a violenee in behalf of liumun wclfarc'. It is | a violcnqc to rernove a small-pox patient to a peßt houae, and we would not have such a one restored to friends till well. AM eo w\th tho lepeu he will be reBtorcd if cured. But if he continuallj carries with him thc Beeds of death, he' must not be allowed to destroj his brother6 and sistērs. lie mu6fc bc kept apart from his fellowfe. īt is done m enligluened Europe ns well as in Asia; and no wheie is the sad necessity enforced more iiumanelj than in the Hawaiian Islands s |

The leper settlement on Molokai is eituatcd in Kalaupapa, a fine tract of land compri6ing 20,000 aeres, It is a singular plain or Tallej bounded on one side bj the eea, and hemmed in evērywhere on the land «ide" by impafesable prccipices, except where tliere is one narrow and difficult pass. This fine ranch has a running stream, hae pleaeant groves and other agrceablc featurce. The lepors ean rangc about for manj milee on lior6eback ; or thej ean sport freely on thc bcach, They eome and go as they pleaee, and as they. liave niee little houees, with good iron bedsteadfe and other neat furniture ln them, they are probably, or the most of thcm, fār better off in thelr condition than at home, and their sad position is made as comfortable as poBoible. The lepers reccive, eaeh twenty-une poutids of nutritious poi, Sve pounds of beef, thc same of muttoh .and r sweet potatoes ad Übitum for a weekly ration, They of course obtain for themfelvcs allL . thc lish; vcgetabies and fruits they want. lfiere are estensive* banana groves on the raneli. Cousidcring thc escellcnt pasturc of this line. tract of land, it ought to support a lt\rgo stock of shccp an<? make thc lepcr scttlcmcnt ')uite eelf~supporting, >Vc have no doubt, but that the humane ovorsight of Dr. Hutchison will bc continued by his suceessor in medieal supervifeion.