Modern Indian leprosy : being the report of a tour in Kattiawar, 1876 : with addenda on Norwegian, Cretan and Syrian leprosy.

  • Carter, H. V. (Henry Vandyke), 1831-1897.
Date:
1876
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Modern Indian leprosy : being the report of a tour in Kattiawar, 1876 : with addenda on Norwegian, Cretan and Syrian leprosy. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    X Occupation.—Agriculture in all its forma is the predominant calling ; next comes tending of cattle and flocks. There are merchants, traders, artisans and the low-caste village servants : the police and private employes. Religious devotees abound, and wandering mendicants. As a class, fishermen do not exist, even on the sea-coast ; nor do coast residents differ in their occupation from inland dwellers. Education, habits, &c.—Hitherto the people have remained ignorant enough—for only 23 4 per cent, at most, of male Hindus can read or write, and hardly § per cent, of the females: but under the present more enlightened native rule, schools are becoming more abundant. Owing to the prevalence of peculiar religious tenets, and to the existence in Kattiawar of numerous shrines sacred to the Hindus, much tenacity of creed and practice will be found. Perhaps the most important feature in either, is the value set on all forms of animal life ; and this is carried to such an extreme that destructive game, vermin and parasites are never willingly destroyed. Animals are not openly caught or killed for food, and it is noteworthy that the humbler Koli follows the Kunbi and Wani in all such prejudices. I have seen numerous lepers who never tasted animal food of any kind. For the rest, the people are now sober and industrious; tobacco is largely consumed, and opium-drinking is an indulgence especially with the inactive head-man—Garassia or Rajput. Marriage restrictions are in full force, but female infanticide no longer prevails. The people are intelligent and not inhumane, though slow to adopt measures for the better comfort of the domestic animals whose mere life they are taught to respect. Their leprous sick are treated not so much in a harsh, as in a neglected manner: practical sympathy for suffering caused by disease has hardly yet been aroused amongst them, but I am under a strong impression that were the ruling powers to insist upon separation from the family of every disabled leper, no opposition would be manifested and rather a general concurrence displayed in so reasonable a measure. Food, clothing, lodging and hygiene.—On all these points the notes of my diary printed below, will furnish sufficient information, and I need not here anticipate their tenor (see especially the first fow pages under dates 1st and 9th January),further than to observe that a great uniformity in the mode of life everywhere obtains, both coastward and inland. It has been matter of surprise to me leprosy is not more frequent than appears, and either some preventing influence must be at work checking the dissemination of this evil ; or, more likely, it is only under a certain concurrence of conditions that this obstinate malady can be propagated. Whether or not such conditions attach to defective sanitation,is not clear ; and the most obvious inference which one is entitled to draw from the facts hitherto elicited, is the supreme importance of isolating affected individuals, in order to obviate the risk of others being attacked, and as well to afford to the poor sufferer hiinsolf such alleviations as are now denied to him. I have, finally, to add that the wide area under notice embraces not only the ten districts or pergunnahs of Bhaonagar, but also numerous smaller sections, respecting some of which I am unable to offer very full information as to the number and distribution of their leper population. Yet, enough has been elicited to afford an accurate conception of the whole land, and of the districts of Bhaonagar, which are fairly typical as regards position and population, our knowledge seems tolerably complete. The present Report consists of two Parts. Under Part I. comes the 1 diary,’ which is a literal transcript from notes made day by day in the course of the tour. My route proceeds from Bhaonagar westward to Kundla, which is situated near the confines of the territory in this direction; afterwards, by a return course it is directed southwards to the coast, and pursuing this line Gogha is again reached, thus completing a circle. For the most part, the route is in Bhaonagar territory, but it traverses other parts ; and at Songadh, Palitana, Datta, Kukad and Gogha, my camp was situated on other land. By aid of the larger Map the whole main line may bo traced, and the villages inspected on special excursions, will also bo readily Been. In my notes the different forms of leprosy (L ) which were found, are, for brevity’s sake, indicated by capital letters having the following signification:— A. L. is anajsthetic leprosy, and N. L. is nerve-lepra, or almost exactly the same thing, for I acquired the habit of writing A. L. only when some kind of eruption on the skin was present, in addition to the mutilation of the hands and feet which is so characteristic of nerve-disease. L. L. is sometimes found ; * Lepra leprosa’ or the typical skin eruption of the disease, which may predominate over other signs. T. L. is tubercular leprosy, or the severer form of the complaint. M. L. may be entered as mixed anaesthetic and tubercular disease. Each of the recognised divisions of the land is headed by a short preface, added in the order that each was reached ; and in a supplement to Part I. are placed notices of the districts which were not visited on this occasion, but regarding which I have been furnished with useful leper- lists. Part II. contains an Analysis of the above data, and my Comments thereon.