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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    Part I. DISTRICT OF MHOWA. S3 died about 10 years ago, being then about 12 years of age ; they cannot now say how long he had leprosy. Nothing more is known of his ancestors, but afterwards it is said that F. U.’s son (grandfather’s brother’s son) had the disease : he died more than 30 years ago in this village. Not married : contact possible: oause of disease unknown : the lad is fairly grown and intelligent enough : is said to be still growing : disease arose here : it is spreading : he is an orphan : is sup- ported by his aunt and lives apart. There are running sores on feet: he goes freely about the village, and plays with other boys. The youngest leper yet seen: nerve disease predominant and growth of frame hardly checked. Here are crowds of children playing about: have any of them the disease ? No suspicion of syphilis in these children. 10. —M., Koli, 25, labourer, born here, not travelled : 7 years’ leprosy, it began on ears—swelling of right ear; then on cheeks, &c. At present, well-marked T. L. on face and ears: not much visible on trunk, but indications of old eruption ; nip- ples enlarged. Hands not greatly changed, but bronzed (like face), and little finger of right hand with the next one, are stunted: also little finger of left hand. Numbness on back, seemingly limited to wrist: skin here finely wrinkled. Feet much bronzed and wrinkled ; little deformity, sores on sole of right foot: numbness here. F. had leprosy and died 4 years ago, after 5 years’ illness : M. dead, free ; three brothers, free ; all younger than he : no sister : no other taint known. Married, a daughter of 4, she and wife well. Contact uncertain : cause of disease unknown. Was a ship-labourer whan first affected : living as usual; disease stationary : partly isolated, there are running sores : general condition yet tolerable, never syphilis. 11. —M., Koli, 30, labourer, born and resident here: 6 years leprosy, it began with an eruption of pale patches (dadur) on skin : then feet became numbed and hands. On face nothing ; little on trunk : on left arm pale spots reaching as high as shoulder: fingers of left hand inflamed, shortened : right arm and hand seen to be quit9 unaffected : no numbness there. On left side numbness exists only as far as wrist, but it is present in the palm. Of the feet, the left is also the most | changed, there being atrophy and distortion of some toes: numbness below the ankles. F. dead; free : M. alive and free : a younger brother and sister are free: F. B. (paternal uncle) had the disease in this village, a very long time since. Married : a son of 6, free : contact denied : cannot account for the disease : ate and drank as usual—stale fish and liquor, like the rest was working a board ship when it occurred : it is increasing : lives apart, there are sores : general condition fair: denies syphilis. A case of apparent neuritis, and unilateral; but there is an eruption, and therefore it cannot be simple neuritis. 12. —M., Koli, 25, labourer, born here, and has not travelled far ; leprosy for 8 years ; there seems to have been an eruption on the skin. At present, marked T. L. with much bronzing on face. Trunk also affected in a characteristic manner, there being a wide diffusion of small nodules and pale patches in the skin : nipples enlarged. Skin of forearms in same state : hands bronzed, and right hand j bronzed in palm ; of both, fingers swollen : nails unchanged : no numbness : middle finger of right hand inflamed. Feet i somewhat affected : great toe on leftside reduced to J normal size, with bronzing here and numbness in front. F. dead ; free : M alive and well and has married again : no brother or sister, his father having died when he was an infant. No family taint. Not married ; denies contact: oannot account for the disease : was eating and working as usual when it came on in this village : it is stationary : lives alone : there are sores : general health indifferent: denies syphilis. 13. —M., Koli, 40, born and resident here ; leprosy for 7 years. There was first an eruption, and then numbness. Face shews decided T. L., ears much enlarged : little visible on trunk : nipples enlarged, with the areola : hands bronzed and swollen immensely : nails destroyed : excoriations on knuckles : numbness, extending to just beyond wrist : feet more affected : on right side most toes are gone, and some of those on left side are wanting : numbness. F. dead, free : M. had the disease, and died 8 years ago, after an illness of 10 years in this village: two younger brothers alive and well : a younger sister died 8 years ago of leprosy, lasting 6 years. Father’s brother (paternal uncle) had leprosy : and father’s sister (paternal aunt) : these people lived and died in this village. Details not recollected: all seem to have lived in the same compound, as is usual for family connections. Marrhd: 3 daughters of 10 and o : no son. Contact with other lepers possible: cause of disease, unknown : lived and worked as usual : disease is spreading: lives apart: there are excoriations: general condition iudiffennt, denies syphilis. 14. —M. Koli, 65, born here and resident: 7 years’ leprosy. There were swellings on wrists, vesicles on fingers. Nothing particular visible on face of this miserable subject, but ears look swollen : eyes sore: on trunk nothing visible now, nipples enlarged. Both bands are quite destroyed, not a single finger being left: widespread numbness. Right foot also nearly destroyed, as regards the toes, and left foot is affected : numbness here too. Parents dead, free; brothers free; two sisters alive and well. Denies all taint. Married : two sonsof 15 and 10, and a daughter of 7, well—denies contact; origin of disease un- known. Lived as usual and is now apart: there are running sores : denies syphilis: a wretched object. 15. —M, Koli, 36, born here: leprosy 5 years, it began with sores on soles and tingling of fingers, followed by numbness. Now some slight signs of T. L. on face : hair scanty on brows and ears turgid : on trunk nothing seen : hands swollen : fingers stiff and excoriated at back. Right little finger bent and ulceration along inner side of palm : nails unchanged : numbness at dorsum and in forearm, not in palms : it seems to begin in the fingers (c.</. on left hand). Feet worse, second and third toes gone, and great toe on left side stunted : numbness here reaching up legs, sores in soles with numbness. F. dead ; free : M. died of leprosy 12 years ago, after an illness of 7 years: this woman was mother of Nos. 6 and 7 by second husband ; no brother; a sister older and well, and her child; no other taint. Married, a daughter of 3 : contact possible: origin of disease otherwise unknown: was working here as usual, when it came on : has sores; general condition fair ; is not s°parated ; had a chancre 8 years ago in Arabia and took physic: no signs of secondary symptoms ; still works amongst other people. Memo.—The L. mother married twice and Nos. 6 and 7, and 15, are half-brothers : by first husband she had a son and a daughter, son long after became leprous: daughter remains well and is the elder : by second husband she had 2 sons, and 2 daughters: the sons are partly younger and both are leprous; daughters well: all these children were born before the disease appeared in her, and those born last, or nearest that time, were soonest affected : but the female children are not affected ; only the males. Both husbands reported well. A remarkable instance of strong maternal influence. 16. —Died 3 weeks ago. A. L.; M. 22. Without family taint. Memo, for Kutpar. Intermarriage is forbidden : but whilst children of brothers (kdkti-kdkana) and of sisters (mdsinti) may not marry, the children of a brother and sister may (mdmd fuind) Here are at least 6 Koli clans, the largest being the Dolassia, within which intermarriage is forbidden ; the several clans inter- mingle freely with each other. Diet. Some Kolis call themselves Talupda, but they eat fish. Not much fresh fish is caught here, and there are no fishermen properly so called ; every one goes to work in the neighbourhood, either at Mhowa as common labourers or field labourers, or on board-ship, lading and sailing. The fish which is commonly consumed is dried-fish : the smaller kind comes from Biu, whence the Portuguese send a ship-load or two annually : other dried-fish comes from Bombay. There are no fish-curers here : no salting of provisions. The average gain from labour may be Rupees 2 per mensem, but employment is intermittent. Troops of men, women and children may be seen crossing the flats in early morning, on their way to work in town or field ; othersgo to the wharf near. There are no ship-owners or part ship-owners here : none are rich. The people purchase their grain in Mhowa, perhaps spoilt grain is sometimes bought : nshes are mixed with jowari and bajri to keep them, and sand is mixed with the dhalls. They buy of retail dealers, and know nothing of the admixture of mercury with these ashes. The people are fairly clothed, and seem content : children are very numerous. Stale fish is not eaten, they say, but the larger dried-fish cannot be always 1 good’: they consume much ' ohasa'