Prize essays on leprosy / Thompson ; Cantlie.

  • Thompson, John Ashburton, 1848-1915.
Date:
1897
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Prize essays on leprosy / Thompson ; Cantlie. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

    358/430 (page 346)
    316 to April, when the north-east monsoon is prevalent. The average number of rainy days during the year is 167. It is difficult to form any estimate of the population of the Muar district. The Chinese have settled in large numbers, chiefly along the river banks and its neighbour- hood, cultivating pepper and gambier, and may safely be estimated at about 75,000. Javanese, who reside chiefly in the padang or plain, having plantations of the areca palm, perhaps number about 10,000 ; and interspersed throughout the district the Malays, perhaps about 10,000. These figures are only approximate, and are not to be relied on. Distribution.—There have been very few cases of leprosy observed in the district, and as the people are very migratory, it is not possible to give a definite reply to this question. Leprosy is seen chiefly amongst the Chinese, very rarely among the Malays. Heredity.—The natives, Chinese and Malays, believe leprosy to be hereditary. Contagion.—All believe in the contagiousness of leprosy. Food.—Fish is not assigned as a cause. It is the most common adjunct to rice by those dwelling on the sea- board. Salt fish is much used by the inland tribes. Segregation.—No strict segregation is practised, nor is it possible under the conditions in which the natives live; but eveiy care is taken to avoid contact with lepers. Tuberculosis, syphilis, malaria.—No direct connection between leprosy and any of these, but very often evident traces of secondary and tertiary syphilis are combined with leprosy. Vaccination.—No data. [Dr. Wheatley does not state there is no vaccination for smallpox practised.] Treatment.—The natives have no reputed drugs for leprosy. In the Muar district, where wood oil (gurjun oil) is very plentiful and an important item of export, it is very generally used for all skin affections. 'The various classes of aborigines suffer much from an aggravated form of ring- worm, in which the epidermis scales off in flakes; for this and other skin diseases the wood oil is greatly used, gene- rally after having tried the leaves of Cassia alata, which