With the progress of civilization leprosy gradually disappeared from- every part of Europe except Norway. Lazarettos gradually fell into disuse, and only the name of leper re mained as a by-word to express social and moral contamination. Great Britain was one of the last countries to. cut clean of leprosy. As late as the 15th century, 250 leper hospitals were in existence there. The government, as well as other European governments, has practically banished the disease, by careful surveillance. In British America the disease still lingers in New Brunswick. In the hospi tal for lepers at Tracadie there have been a score of cases regularly for many years.
In the United States leprosy has existed since the Revolution and probably will continue to exist. Leprosy hospitals in secluded spots are maintained in San Francisco, New Orleans, Boston and New York, and cases are always found here in numbers from two or three to a score. In the Philippines at the time of the American occupation there were 15,000 cases in the islands, but by the census of 1902 only about 5,000 cases were reported. The disease was brought to Manila originally from Japan about 200 years ago. The number of le, rs in the world is estimated to be about 3,111,000, two-thirds of which are in China.
The most celebrated leper colony or settle ment in the world is that on the island of Molokai in Hawaii; but the conditions there have been much exaggerated. Molokai lies
about 25 miles from the island of Oahu, and about 56 miles from Honolulu. The leper set tlement on the elevated, grassy plain of Kalau papa has an area of 8,000 acres.
The whole number of lepers at the Molokai settlement in 1902 was officially reported at 1,191. viz., 741 males and 450 females. There would be, therefore, nearly seven acres of pro ductive soil for every member of fhe settle ment. There are hospitals, dispensaries, churches and comfortable cottages for the ac commodation of families; these cottages are well ventilated, abundantly supplied with fresh water and kept in good condition. Cottage residents requiring medical treatment are at tended at their own homes by the resident phy sician. Every man, woman and child may draw 21 pounds of fresh beef every week, a liberal supply of taro, flour or bread, rice, tea, sugar, salt, tobacco and matches, and as much good clothing as required. A sum of money is paid to those who do not draw the full ration, which enables them to purchase articles not included in the regular supply.
It is reasonably certain that leprosy can be cured by competent skin and nerve specialists. See "Neuritis" in Jelliffe and White, 'Dis eases of the Nervous System> (1917). •