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Show MAY AID THE LEPERS NATIONAL HOSPITAL NEEDED TO CARE FOR THEM PROPERLY. Two Recent Cases Call Attention to the Existence of Plague, But No Provision Pro-vision for Adequate Treatment Treat-ment and Isolation. Washington. Tho ngltntlon In .Vashlngton over tho Early leprosy case and In Arizona ovor tho caso of Mrs. Wardwell Is expected by offlclnls of tho public health nnd nmrlno hos-pita) hos-pita) servlco to lead to a rouewod effort ef-fort to obtain the establishment of a national hospital for tho isolation and trentmont of loprohy. A'fi effort to obtain legislation to this end, which wns supported by mnny members of tho medical fraternity fra-ternity throughout tho country, was mndo by the public health and mnrluo hospitnl'servlcc In 1905, and a bill for Mien nri Institution recolvod favorablo teports In both houses of congress. It failed of passage, however, largely because, of objections from localities In which It was coutctuiplntcil that the leprosarium should be. The bill did not nnmo any state of torrltory, but pi ovlded that an nlmudoncd military or nnvnl reservation should bo used. It was understood, however, that tho authorities hnd New Mexico in mind m tho most desirable location, and tho dclcgato from thnt territory wns oot slow In making known the opposition opposi-tion of his constituents. When legislation Is reached again the health buiean will bo ready with all tho statistics and nrgumcutR necessary neces-sary to win consideration for tho hill. Tho statistics, however, aro not very recent, ns they do not npuro.ich any nearer tho present tlmo than 1901. In thnt year a commission composed of surgeoiiB connected with the hu- reau made n thorough Investigation of i leprosy in tho United States, finding , that there wore 278 cases In tho conn- i try mid that they wero scattered j through 21 stntcs. Louisiana led tho list with 155 cases, , or more than half tho entlro number. California and Florida followed with 21 each, Minnesota with 20 arid North Dakota with 10. Tho remaining cases were found In Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Mary-land, Massachusetts, Mississippi,' Missouri, Mis-souri, Montana, Nevada,. Now York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin. Of nil these cases only 72 wore Isn ln!-w! Tho commission wns of tho opinion that' Its report did not cover all cases nnd tho belief wns expressed that many of them wore hidden. In presenting Its report tho com- mission Included tho gonornl recom j mcndatlons of tho lntcrnntlonnl lop- rosy conference for tho Isolation of casen ns tho best method to prevent tho spread of tho disease. It was roc- i oinmended also that two lnstltutlons-one lnstltutlons-one In the north nnd tho other In the south, bo established. In tho nbBOiico of Surgeon Oonerul WjniUn, no ono connected wlill the ' public henlth service will undortako to say positively that tho loprosailum i bill will bo reintroduced, but many Incline In-cline to tho opinion that It will bo ' becmiBO of tho necessity for protecting the general public and for dealing with loprosy victims In a human!-tnrlun human!-tnrlun way nnd also bocnuso of tho dltllciiltlcB in having Individual stutes euro for them. |