The National Archives of Mauritius hold thirty-one entries on leprosy that range from 1781 to 1898. From 1781, there is a “Mémoire anonyme sur la lèpre” and from 1800, there is a “Mémoire sur la lèpre par M Ravelet, chirurgien-juré.” There are early reports on slavery and leprosy: one from 1828 entitled “Report on the number of slaves attacked by leprosy”; and another of October 1830: “Distribution of the leprous blacks in the Dependencies”. There are statistical returns associated with the St Lazare Leper Asylum (1869-1892) and the Leper Asylum on Isle Curieuse where slaves with leprosy were detained (1831, 1854, 1871). There is a report on leprosy in Mauritius by A Davidson (1879); a proposal to establish a Leper Asylum (1881); the confirmation of an ordinance on Convict Vagrant and Pauper Lepers (1882); a report on the treatment of leprosy in the Sandwich Islands (1887, 1888); on the treatment of leprosy in the Hawaiian Islands (1891); correspondence and an exchange of reports with India; Reports and Proceedings of the International Leprosy Conference held in Berlin (1897); and reports on experiments made with Dr Koch’s Tuberculin (1892, 1893).
As of October 2015, the archives were in the process of being digitised. Some records are available online to users who have registered with the National Archives of Mauritius. For more information, see this page.
The documents concerning leprosy are as follows:
- A 73/5 – 1800 – Mémoire sur la lèpre par Mr Ravelet, chirurgien-juré
- B1A – pp.25 – 26 – March 1944 – Report on Health Conditions in Mauritius by Dr A Rankine, M.C. (Extract on leprosy)
- B1A – August 1879 – Report on Leprosy in Mauritius by A.Davidson
- B1A – 1869-1892 Statistical returns of St Lazare Leper Asylum
- B1A – 1895 – Report on the leper patients under Mr. Pierre Mérandon’s treatment at the Barkly Asylum
- OA121 – No. 6 – 1781 – Mémoire anonyme sur la lèpre
- SA 13 – No. 58 25 July 1828 – Report on the number of slaves attacked by leprosy
- SA 15 – No. 3 – 03 January 1830 Report on Leprosy in Mauritius
- SA 15 – No. 85 – October 1830 – Distribution of the leprous blacks in the Dependencies
- SA 16 – No. 43 – 04 May 1831 – Expenditure for the establishment of leprous slaves on Isle Curieuse
- SA 51 – No. 74 – 12 April 1854 – On the discontinuance of the Leper Asylum on Isle Curieuse
- SA 104 – No. 71 – 06 November 1871 – Approval of the proposed breaking up of the Leper Asylum on Isle Curieuse
- SA 110 – No.22 – 27 January 1874 – On the treatment of leprosy
- SA 110 – No. 107 – 13 May 1874 – On the loss of Circular Dispatch dated 04 September 1873 on leprosy
- SA 111 – No.167 – 23 December 1874 – Transmission of Leprosy Report
- SA 111 – No. 175 – 31 December 1874 – Grant of special pension to Mr Forbes, late overseer of the Leper Establishment
- SA 128 – No. 33 – 08 November 1880 – Receipt of report on Leprosy
- SA 133 – No. 23 – 07 December 1881 – On the proposed establishment of a Leper Asylum
- SA 141 – No.13 – 01 March 1883 – Confirmation of Ordinance 30 of 1882 on Convict Vagrant and Pauper Lepers
- SA 165 – No. 70 – 30 November 1886 – Return of the Leper Map
- SA 170 – No. 31 – 17 June 1887 – On the treatment of leprosy in the Sandwich Islands
- SA 185 – No 14 – 23 February 1889 – On the treatment of leprosy in the Sandwich Islands
- SA 197 – No.35 – 03 June 1890 – On leprosy
- SA 201 – No.9 – 20 October 1890 – On the steps taken upon the recommendation of the Enquiry Commission on Leprosy
- SA 205 – No. 47 – 02 April 1891 – Report on the treatment of leprosy on the Hawaiian Islands
- SA 216 – No. 28 – 23 January 1892 – Receipt of account of experiments made with Dr Koch’s Tuberculin regarding lepers
- SA 229 – No. 5 – 03 March 1893 – Medical Inspectors at Calcutta and Madras asking information on Leprous Return Coolie Emigrants
- SA 233 – No. 43 – 14 August 1893 – Transmission of a memorandum on leprosy in India
- SA 236 – No. 9 – 29 November 1898 – On the further experiments made with Dr Koch’s Tuberculin regarding leprosy
- SA 275 – No. 21 – 08 November 1898 – Reports and Proceedings of the International Leprosy Conference held in Berlin in 1897
- SA 281 – No. 37 – 21 June 1899 – Circular on measures taken to prevent the spread of leprosy following the International Leprosy Conference held in Berlin in 1897
Entry made March 2002 and updated June 7, 2006