It may be interesting to trace its history in the United States and adjacent districts more minutely. It is not known just when leprosy was introduced into North America. According to the Louisiana historian, Gayarré, the Spaniards established leper hospitals in several of their colonies on the Gulf of Mexico during the last century. One existed in New Orleans as late as 1785. In 1776 the disease was reported as existing among the blacks in Florida. It seems to have died out, and with it all remembrance of its former existence amongst us, until within the last few years, when its occurrence in the Southern States has again attracted attention. In Louisiana the first case was discovered in 1866 in an old woman whose father came from the south of France; she died in 1870. In 1871 it appeared in one of her sons, in 1872 in two others, and in 1876 in a nephew. A sixth case developed in a young woman who was in constant attendance upon the first case. In addition to this group, other cases have been observed in several parishes, amounting to twenty-one in all, as collected by Salomon of New Orleans in 1878.1 Two other cases, brother and sister, in Louisiana are known to the writer, one of whom has recently died under his care. In South Carolina the disease is reported by J. F. M. Geddings2 to have been observed in sixteen cases since the year 1846; four were Jews, four negroes, and eight whites. In none was any hereditary taint to be traced. No new cases have developed since that report.3
1 New Orleans Med. and Surg. Journal, March, 1878.
2 Trans. Intern. Med. Congress, Philadelphia, 1876.
3 See article on "Contagiousness of Leprosy" by writer, in Amer. Journ. of Med. Sciences, Oct., 1882.
In Minnesota and other North-western States leprosy has been known to exist for a considerable time among the Norwegian immigrants who have settled in them in large numbers. Holmboe in 1863 and Prof. Boeck later made visits to these colonies while in this country, and published reports concerning them after their return.4 The latter found eighteen cases among his countrymen, most of which were leprous before emigration; in others the disease developed after arrival in America. It had not manifested itself in any person born in this country. The character and progress of the affection seem to have been little influenced by residence here. Since these observations other cases have been collected by the committee on statistics of the American Dermatological Association,5 showing the continuance of the disease in these States. In 1879 there were fifteen cases in Minnesota. Its spread in this portion of our country is slow.
4 British and For. Med.-Chir. Review, Jan., 1870, and Nord. Medic. Ark., Bd. iii.
5 See Transactions.
Since 1871, 52 cases of the disease have been inmates of the hospital for lepers in San Francisco, California. Of these, all, with one exception, were Chinese, and forty-five of them had been sent back to China. It is presumed to have shown itself after arrival in this country, as "unproductive labor would not be imported by the Six Companies."6 No case of the disease known to have been acquired in this country has yet been reported upon the Pacific Coast. One case has developed in San Francisco after residence in the Hawaiian Islands.
6 Trans. Am. Derm. Assoc., 1881.
In Oregon, too, the disease has appeared among the Chinese immigrants, steps having been recently taken to re-ship five lepers from the poor-farm at Portland to China.